Relationships Australia Canberra & Region Evaluation

Relationships Australia Canberra & Region Evaluation

Information for participants

You are invited to participate in anevaluationconducted by Relationships Australia to evaluate the effectiveness of the service you received.

Who is collecting the evaluation information?

Thisevaluation is being conducted by a small team of research officers withinRelationships Australia Canberra and Region (RACR).

Why are we performing this client evaluation?

We are interested in understanding how this service may help you by examining the effect of our service on a wide range of important client outcomes. The results of the evaluation will help us understand the impact of the serviceon people’slives. We will also use the information you provide us to improve our service in the future and for further research into the demand and need for this type of service.

What are the potential benefits of this evaluation?

This research provides an opportunity for you, the client, to give feedback to Relationships Australia about how well we are helping you. Relationships Australia will use the combined feedback provided by all clients who attend theservice to evaluate our current practices, compare them with the outcomes of international best-practice standards, and to make recommendations about the future provision of services to support people experiencing similar issues.

What does the research involve?

You will be asked to complete a survey before attending the service and to complete a post-service telephone survey, approximately three months after your final appointment.

The surveysare voluntary. Theywill ask you about your well-being, general family functioning and what you achieved by participating in the service. There are also a few questions which ask you how helpful you found the service and some open-ended questions where you can add some further comments.

How much time will the evaluation form take?

The survey forms should take approximately 5 minutes to complete.

Can I expect any inconvenience or discomfort?

There are no known risks and we do not expect that the survey will cause you any discomfort. However, it is important that if you are feeling distressed you seek help. You should speak to a Relationships Australia counsellor, your General Practitioner or phone Life Line on 13 11 14.

Can I withdraw from the evaluation?

Your participation is voluntary and you are under no obligation to take part. You may refuse to participate or withdraw from the evaluation at any time and do not have to explain why. Your service with Relationships Australia will not be affected in any way if you decide at any time not to participate or complete the survey.

Information on the research results

You may make a request at the end of the consent form to receive a letter explaining the key findings of the evaluation. No information on individuals is included in any research results.

How do you make sure my information remains confidential?

All information recorded on the surveys is confidential. Hard copy surveys are not kept with your Relationships Australia client records and the consent form is stored separated from the survey.

The Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) is a common standardised tool which measures well-being at a particular point in time. You will be invited to compete the ORS both pre and post service so that RACR can compare changes to overall well-being between pre-service and post-service experiences.

Only a few members of the Relationships Australia research team will have access to information provided on your surveys. These hard-copy surveys and consent forms will be kept separately under secure lock and key in our office. Electronic data will be stored within a restricted access electronic folder. Your identity and your answers to the survey will not be revealed to anyone outside the research team.

How will my information be stored?

Information will be stored as required by the Privacy Act 1988 and also as directed by the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2007 (NHRMC, 2007, updated May 2013). Therefore client files, client surveys and electronic data will be kept in a locked storage unit at Relationships Australia and/or password protected computer file for 7 years, after this time, this information will be subject to ‘safe-hands’ destruction.

How will my responses to the surveybe used?

The combinedinformation from this survey will be used by Relationships Australia to produce organisational reports. Reports may also be provided by RACR to external organisations such as funding bodies however, all data provided in reports will be de-identified and anonymous. It will also be used to inform and improve RACR services as a part of our ongoing commitment to ensure our services are effective for clients. Individual participants will not be identified in these reports as they will only contain the results and interpretation of the combined responses of all participants in the evaluation.

Thank you for your participation in this evaluation

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