Consultancy and Program Development

Encompass Family and Community offers a range of consultancy services including


Policy analysis and development

Being able to analyse policy issues and translate them into effective, responsive and client-focused practice is critical in child and family welfare and community services.  Encompass Family and Community specialises in high level policy analysis and development. We can help you to identify and decipher policy problems and issues and the implications for your organisation or the clients with whom you work.

We incorporate our strong focus on evidence-based practice into our policy analysis and development.  Encompass has undertaken this type of work in a wide range of areas including child protection, family support, regulation of out-of-home care, permanency planning, family reunification, adoption, youth homelessness, domestic violence prevention, community health promotion, migrant support services and community funding.

We can assist you to interpret government policy relevant to your service, and assist you to reflect or include the implications in your organisation’s strategic and operational policies, programs and/or procedures.  We can work with you to develop a framework for integrated policy and procedures across your entire service system, or draft a specific brief statement. 

Our team has worked with government and non-government agencies to develop policies and procedures relating to a wide range of matters. These are examples:

  • interagency protocols
  • responding safely to crises
  • inclusive case management
  • behaviour guidance in the care of children and young people
  • working with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families and children
  • culturally competent practice
  • helping young people transition to independence
  • record keeping and confidentiality
  • responding to children’s and young people’s disclosures about abuse
  • reporting suspected child abuse and neglect and dealing with disclosures
  • safety procedures for staff
  • complaints and grievance procedures
  • child safe child friendly organisations.

See some examples of our work on the Reports and papers page


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Program and service development and review

At Encompass we understand the hard work involved in developing effective programs that are true to your vision and which demonstrably deliver on your stated goals.  We can assist you to develop or refine your model of service, applying current knowledge. We can facilitate your use of program logic processes to ensure program integrity in focussing on client needs – to consider the fit between your organisational structure and activities and the results you aim to achieve.    

We can help you negotiate the funding maze, provide advice about funding submissions, and help with staff awareness of licensing requirements and processes where relevant. 

We can help you develop a relevant and meaningful performance measurement framework, to assist you to monitor progress and, just as importantly, to apply learnings as you go.  We specialise in highly consultative evaluation and review services, which provide practical feedback to inform your ongoing development.  The purposes of evaluations and reviews differ –  the team at Encompass Family and Community will work with you to design and undertake independent evaluation processes that meet your needs. 

Our program and service development and review services have included:

  • developing program models to address specific issues
  • frameworks for service delivery and performance measurement
  • reviews of funded programs
  • facilitating agency re-structuring
  • facilitating action learning processes
  • independent evaluation
  • organisational reviews
  • compliance auditing.

See some examples of our work on the Reports and papers page


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Research and analysis

Encompass Family and Community undertakes detailed research of the latest issues and trends. We can draft issues papers, practice papers or position papers to your requirements and undertake research to inform your organisation's development, operation or future directions. We are vigilant about keeping up-to-date with emerging evidence bases for practice and policy and critically reviewing issues in child and family welfare.

We have regularly been requested by government agencies and peak bodies to develop policy papers, practice papers, and literature reviews.  Some of those developed for the Queensland Department of Child Safety and for PeakCare Queensland Inc (a peak body of Queensland child and family welfare services) can be viewed at Reports and Papers.

Encompass consultation services include designing specific research strategies to inform policy and to review practice. This includes action research to ensure ongoing feedback about what works – particularly important for new projects.


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