"Communities Need to Lead": Organizational Social Service Leaders' Insights on Improving System Outcomes for Children, Young People and Families
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
The disparate outcomes experienced by children, young people, and families within Australia’s social, educational, and health, services are widely reported, with data reflecting that similar populations experience consistently poorer outcomes. As disparities occur across traditional service boundaries, beyond what individual provider or sector can address, it is critical to understand and intervene at the service systems-level, ie., the interactions across services and sectors. This study aimed to understand the experiences of organizational and service leaders who have supported system-level change to inform subsequent place-based activities in Logan, Australia. Sixteen (16) service leaders, program coordinators, managers, and CEOs participated in semi-structured interviews from across Logan’s service sectors, including child protection, early childhood, education, youth, family services, multicultural, refugee, health and First Nations’ services. Thematic analysis revealed four key themes of service leaders’ experiences of supporting system-level change: The need for community-led and co-designed approaches; Service contracts flexible to community need; Culturally-specific and culturally-safe models; and Resources commensurate with community needs. These findings highlight the need for trialing new approaches including flexible contract models, needs-based funding, community-directed program contracts, and models designed by and for marginalized populations. Further applied research should explore effects of proposed approaches on both services users and providers.
Journal
Journal of Social Service Research
Publication Name
Journal of Social Service Research
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ISBN/ISSN
1540-7314
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Pages Count
14
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
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EISSN
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DOI
10.1080/01488376.2025.2601026