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We are seeing the results. We are evidencing change.
Research is the story of 65,000 years of learning from observing what was happening. We passed this on through the stories of old people. This is research. This is what we are doing now – evaluating what we do at Children’s Ground. We are doing research our way and the Western way. William Tilmouth, Founding Chair of Children's Ground
Research is the story of 65,000 years of learning from observing what was happening. We passed this on through the stories of old people. This is research. This is what we are doing now – evaluating what we do at Children’s Ground. We are doing research our way and the Western way.
Through a 25-year longitudinal evaluation, we measure change in education, health, economic, social and cultural outcomes for our families.
Our evaluation has Human Research Ethics Committee approval. It is guided and overseen by a national Research Advisory Group (see below), consisting of experts in child development, health and wellbeing and community-led research.
As First Nations people, we have been the subjects of research and evaluation in different forms since colonisation. Almost always, this research involved collecting data from us and taking it away to be analysed with no feedback on the outcomes of the research.
Children’s Ground’s monitoring, evaluation and research are governed by First Nations people. The community co-designs, executes, analyses and reports on the outcomes.
Nothing about us without us William Tilmouth, Founding Chair of Children's Ground
Nothing about us without us
At Children’s Ground, we define key indicators with the community to ensure culture and strength are embedded and recognised in progress measures and outcomes indicators.
Decades of evidence confirm that the greatest return on investment in social and economic terms is achieved by starting early and responding to all key social and cultural determinants of health and wellbeing.
Traditional outcome measures are often focused on deficit, disease and death. While these indicators are important, they can undermine or fail to recognise strength-based indicators critical to shifting ultimate wellbeing when assessed on their own.
Our Approach is broken into five-yearly strategic development plans and annual progress indicators. These inform a comprehensive evaluation report every three years. Over time, we are evaluating the quality and impact of our work across outcomes for children, families and communities, as well as processes in system, service and practice reform and change.
Our impact will only be genuinely understood over a generation when children growing up with Children’s Ground are young adults. These kids will become the majority: people who have experienced positive education, health and cultural learning from their earliest years. They will have voice and agency over their own lives and have experienced inclusion and equity in education, health, social and economic life.
We've been researched to death, now we're researching ourselves back to life William Tilmouth, Founding Chair of Children's Ground
We've been researched to death, now we're researching ourselves back to life
Our Monitoring and Evaluation Framework has nine key outcome indicators for children, family and community.
Each of these has short and medium-term indicators that are the building blocks of long-term change. This allows us to report back to the community, our investors and partners. It will build an evidence base for an approach to achieving equity, inclusion and addressing extreme disadvantage over the long-term.
Our Monitoring and Evaluation Framework includes:
There is insufficient rigorous research and evaluation undertaken in Australia around complex inequity and First Nations solutions. Researchers, services and governments in Australia continue to rely on international research that is decades old and conducted in vastly different contexts.
Children’s Ground engages in research agendas and projects related to the Children’s Ground Approach and other First Nations-led approaches. We support community-led research priorities and contribute to national and international evidence bases.
Reforming mainstream research methods and practice is critical to First Nations empowerment and self-determination.
We work with a group of respected researchers and academics that conduct research and evaluation projects in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community settings. Their areas of expertise include child development, early years and primary school education, health and wellbeing, family wellbeing and community-led research and development.
Professor Fiona Arney
Director, Positive Futures Research and Arney Chong Consulting
Professor Sally Brinkman
Professor of Education and Paediatric Epidemiology. University of South Australia
Mr Matthew James
Senior Executive, Deputy CEO, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Dr Tim Moore
Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne
Professor Sven Silburn
(ret. previously) Director, Centre for Child Development and Education, Menzies School of Health Research
Professor David Thomas
Public Health Research, Menzies School of Health Research
Dr Jordan Corey
BSc, MBBS, GDip Surgical Anatomy, MPH ’21 Candidate, Harvard University, 2020 Fulbright Future Scholar
Professor Naomi Sunderland
Director Creative Arts Research Institute, School of Health Sciences and Social Work & Creative Arts Research Institute, Griffith University
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Professor Komla Tsey
In 2024 Professor Komla Tsey retired from the Research Advisory Group after being a member since it was established. We want to sincerely thank Komla for his significant contribution over many years.
Alongside our research priorities, we partner with key research institutions and organisations to contribute practical evidence about how to redress complex and extreme disadvantages in Australia and globally.
All research work aligns with the rights of First Nations people and prioritises empowerment and self-determination. All research projects, partnerships and opportunities are reviewed and approved by First Nations Governance Groups in the relevant Children’s Ground region.
Our early-stage evidence shows progress. Our three-year evaluation of Ampe-kenhe Ahelhe (Children’s Ground Central Australia) from 2017 – 2019 found that:
A three-year evaluation of Ampe-kenhe Ahelhe (Children’s Ground Central Australia) from 2020 – 2022 will be released in late 2024.
We are speaking up at meetings, we are telling our story at conferences, we are pushing ourselves to lead. We’re in the driver’s seat now – everyone else can get in the back seat. Kwementyaye Gorey, Senior Arrernte Educator (d)
We are speaking up at meetings, we are telling our story at conferences, we are pushing ourselves to lead. We’re in the driver’s seat now – everyone else can get in the back seat.
