FORMULATE ACTIONS TO SUPPORT WELLBEING

The Frameworks for Australian Social Statistics can be used to assist in formulating actions to support wellbeing. This is the second of three sections describing how the Frameworks for Australian Social Statistics can be used in informing actions and policy:

• Understand and describe the issue
• Formulate actions to support wellbeing (this section)
• Monitor and evaluate the action

Actions are responses that aim to ease negative impacts or enhance positive impacts on social wellbeing resulting from pressures.

The following elements of the frameworks should be used to determine how to formulate a response or action to the issue:

• Actions supporting wellbeing (Responses)

The following key steps should be considered when formulating actions in response to an issue:

• Set aspirations/objectives
• Formulate the action
• Determine outputs, outcomes and impacts of the action
• Establish performance indicators and benchmarks

SET ASPIRATIONS/OBJECTIVES

In order to undertake actions to maintain or improve wellbeing, the aspirations or objectives that the actions are intended to achieve need to be determined first. Priority objectives should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound (SMART objectives) in order to ensure relevant, quantifiable and accountable monitoring and evaluation.

Example

Effective consultation to gain an understanding of the aspirations of youth will assist in determining priority areas of action. The type of information required could include:

• Time use patterns
• Hours wanted to work or study
• Cultural and social factors
• Transition experiences of school leavers
• Current and future life intentions.

Since participation in education and training and engaging in work are considered important aspects of developing individual capability and building a socially inclusive society, the aspiration/objective might be to ensure an increasing proportion of young people remain connected to learning or work or a combination of both by providing opportunities for them to do this.

FORMULATE THE ACTION

Once the aspiration or objective has been determined, actions (or responses) are needed to achieve the aspiration/objective. This could include developing new actions or modifying existing actions.

Example

To meet the desired aspiration/objective to ensure young people remain connected to learning or work or a combination of both, actions could be formulated to strengthen schooling and training opportunities, offer equivalent vocational pathways in non-school settings, or develop strategies for transitioning between education and employment.

Actions could also be put in place by the community to ensure schools, businesses and families work together to support young people to stay connected with education and training. This could include formulating strategies to accommodate the life choices of young people, such as offering flexible services to assist in accessing further education or training, or providing opportunities for young people who are disengaged from education, training or employment to better support them in their local communities.

DETERMINE OUTPUTS, OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS OF THE ACTION

The outputs, outcomes and impacts of the action should be considered and cross-checked against the elements of our wellbeing (State).

Example

What is the difference between outputs, outcomes and impacts?

• Output: the processes, products, goods and services that are the immediate result of an activity or an intervention. This may also include the changes resulting from the activity.
• Outcome: the likely or achieved changes in behaviour, relationships or actions of individuals, groups or organisations in the short to medium term as a result of the activity or intervention outputs. Changes may be influenced directly or indirectly, partially or totally, intentionally or not, by the output. Outcomes specify the impacts expected after outputs are delivered.
• Impact: the positive and negative long-term changes in the condition of people as a result of the activity, directly or indirectly, intended or unintended.

The key to distinguishing between these terms is that it is possible to control outputs, influence outcomes and contribute to impacts. See Wilson-Grau 2008, p7; UNEP 2014, p18.

ESTABLISH PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND BENCHMARKS

It is important to consider and agree on how the success of the action will be measured in a transparent and quantifiable way. Refer to 'Selecting indicators' in monitor and evaluate the action for further information. Establishing indicators and benchmarks before implementation of the action ensures that outputs, outcomes and impacts can be measured and reported.

Example

Examples of measurement areas relating to the issue of youth engagement could include:

• Skills and knowledge of young people
• Rate of full-time employment and part-time employment
• Transition from education to work
• Demographic characteristics
• Continued participation rates in formal skill development and learning, through education and / or work.

Possible indicators:

• Attainment of year 12 or formal qualification
• Non-school qualification
• Literacy and numeracy competency
• Education participation rate
• Participation in a non-school qualification
• Participation in work-related learning
• Not engaged in employment, education or training (NEET)
• Unemployment rates of young people

Areas that could inform about the impact of the action include:

• Assessment of the effectiveness of actions and the process undertaken
• Functioning of systems
• Changes to wellbeing status over time (analysis may show association with actions).

The following table can be used to assist with formulating actions:

Step	Key Questions
Set aspirations/objectives	What is the objective of the action? What is the desired change that is hoped to be achieved by the action?
Formulate the action	Should an action be implemented or an existing action be altered to address the issue? What urgency is there for the issue to be addressed?
Determine outputs, outcomes and impacts of the action	Who will undertake the activity and how? How capable are individuals and the organisation of delivering the action? Will additional people or skills be required? Will there be behaviour changes? What are the resources and requirements to deliver the activity: for people, processes, methods, standards and technology? Will current capacity match these requirements? Will there be any lifestyle changes? What location specific resources will be needed? Are there transport considerations? How will accessibility (e.g. physical, language, cultural) be addressed for the target population? Are there other activities or partnerships that might have an influence on the action? How will the particular needs of the target population be taken into account? Are there any risks of undertaking / not undertaking the activity, including physical risks involved to the target population, providers or others? Were there unintended effects? Were there risk reductions? Are there factors that could facilitate a better result for the action (e.g. other complementary actions)? Are there barriers? What is the estimated impact of the action on other sectors?
Establish performance indicators and benchmarks	What indicators and benchmarks will allow accurate assessment of progress and impact of the action? Consider indicators that will measure such things as: Changes in awareness, knowledge, skills Increases in the number of people reached Policy changes Changes in behaviour Changes in community capacity Changes in organisational capacity (skills, structures, resources) Increases in service usage Improved continuity of care