Research and Evaluation

Evidence and insight that leads to better decisions.

We use research and evaluation to understand complex problems, build a strong evidence base and shape effective responses. Our multidisciplinary approach brings together organisational design, social science and evaluation expertise with the perspectives of workforces, leaders and communities. Research and evaluation are embedded in all the work we do, informing the strategies, frameworks, resources, services and solutions we develop. This ensures what we create is grounded in evidence, shaped by the people it is intended for and responsive to the context in which it will be used.

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Build from a strong evidence base.

Research provides a grounded understanding of the context surrounding a problem or opportunity. It helps uncover the people, systems, experiences, influences and emerging trends that shape what is happening and why, creating a stronger foundation for developing effective responses. But understanding shouldn't stop once a solution is developed. Evaluation provides a continuous way to understand what is working, what is changing and where adaptation is needed. Together, research and evaluation create an ongoing evidence base that shapes what is developed and strengthens it over time.

The principles that guide us.

Our research and evaluation is underpinned by principles that guide how we approach each project.

Question-driven: We start with the questions that need to be answered and design the research around them, rather than starting with a predetermined method.
Contextually grounded: We consider the broader environment, systems, trends and influences that shape the issue, recognising that evidence cannot be understood in isolation.
Multidisciplinary: We draw on different disciplines and perspectives to examine complex issues and build a richer understanding.
Participatory and lived experience informed: We involve the people closest to an issue, recognising their experience and expertise as an important source of evidence.
Continuous and adaptive: We use evaluation as an ongoing process of learning, creating opportunities to respond to what we learn over time.

Methods tailored to the context.

We draw on a range of research and evaluation methods, selecting the approach that best responds to the question and context.

Desktop research: Reviewing and synthesising academic research and grey literature, including policy, government, industry and organisational sources, to understand the existing evidence and broader context.
Qualitative research: Using interviews, workshops, focus groups and participant observation to explore experiences, perspectives and behaviours, and understand how people make sense of the environments in which they operate.
Quantitative research: Analysing workforce and organisational data to identify patterns, trends and changes over time, and build an understanding of what is happening across an organisation or system.
Evaluation frameworks and measurement: Developing fit-for-purpose frameworks that define what success looks like, establish evaluation questions and measures, identify appropriate data sources, and create mechanisms for monitoring progress and learning over time.

Our work in practice

A large Australian government department

Turning a complex evidence base into resources people can use

The challenge

The department needed to develop practical, enduring resources to support organisations and workforces across care and support settings to reduce mental health stigma and discrimination. A substantial evidence base already existed. A national advisory body had provided advice to government on a draft stigma and discrimination reduction strategy, informed by extensive stakeholder engagement over a two-year period, alongside analysis of existing government initiatives and activity. The challenge was not to generate more evidence, but to make sense of what was already there.

What we delivered

We undertook a structured research and design process, beginning with an Evidence Summary that synthesised the existing research, strategy advice and government initiatives. Using a question-driven approach, we analysed the evidence to understand how mental health stigma and discrimination are experienced, produced and reinforced, and what the evidence tells us about reducing it. From this research we developed System Touchpoints to map where stigma and discrimination can occur across people's interactions with care and support systems, and Design Principles that distilled the evidence into key considerations. These provided the foundation for a Strategic Framework, Best Practice Guidance and Training Plan Outline, tested through co-design consultation with stakeholders and people with lived experience.

The outcome

The research process created a clear line of sight from the existing evidence and lived experience insights through to the final resources, ensuring they respond to how stigma and discrimination are experienced in practice. By translating this extensive evidence base into practical guidance, the department received a suite of evidence-informed resources that can be applied across care and support settings.

Let's turn your complex research into tools your team can use.

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