AIFS tools released to strengthen evidence-informed practice across child and family services

The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) has released two new toolkits designed to help child and family service providers strengthen evidence-informed practice and improve outcomes for children and families. 

The resources, the Evidence-informed Practice Compass and Monitoring, evaluation and learning: a guide for service providers, have been developed to support organisations to reflect on current practice, plan improvements and use evidence to learn and adapt over time. 

For early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, the tools offer practical support at a time when providers, centre managers and educational leaders are increasingly focused on quality improvement, reflective practice and child-centred decision making.

A focus on evidence-informed practice

AIFS said delivering high quality services for children and families means making evidence-informed decisions about what services do, how they operate and how they know they are making a difference. 

The toolkits have been designed for practitioners, managers, evaluators and leaders across the child and family sector who are seeking practical ways to support quality practice and better outcomes. 

What the new AIFS tools include

The Evidence-informed Practice Compass provides a practical framework to help child and family service organisations identify and strengthen the key elements that underpin an evidence-informed practice approach.

The Monitoring, evaluation and learning guide supports organisations to understand whether programs and services are working, for whom and why, and how they can be strengthened over time. 

AIFS notes that the two resources can be used separately, or together as part of a continuous improvement approach. The Practice Compass helps organisations identify where improvement is needed, while the MEL guide supports planning around how evidence will be gathered, used and learned from during implementation. 

Why this matters for ECEC

For ECEC services, the release aligns closely with existing expectations around reflective practice, quality improvement and responsive programming.

The resources may support approved providers, centre managers, educational leaders and educators to take a more structured approach to reviewing practice, documenting decisions and considering how programs are responding to the needs of children, families and communities.

They may also be useful in team discussions, professional learning, supervision, mentoring and Quality Improvement Plan processes.

A practical resource for leaders and educators

AIFS has designed the toolkits to be flexible, accessible and practical, with organisations able to work through specific tasks or practice domains gradually rather than addressing all areas at once. 

For ECEC leaders, this makes the resources particularly relevant to services looking to build shared language around evidence, strengthen decision making and embed continuous improvement in day-to-day practice.

The full suite of tools is available on the AIFS website.