Evaluation of the NT MOS projects
1. Introduction
Up to Closing the Gap: Northern Territory
Table of contents
Success Works was commissioned by the Department of Health and Ageing, Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH), to undertake an Evaluation of the Northern Territory Mobile Outreach Service (MOS) and MOS Plus, collectively referred to as the MOS Projects.
The MOS Plus service is still relatively new, the evaluation is of a formative nature. This Report presents findings and recommendations to inform the development of the service.
MOS Projects context
MOS Projects objectives
MOS Plus service scope
Evaluation objective
MOS Projects context
On 21 June 2007, the Australian Government announced national emergency measures to protect Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory (NT) from abuse in response to the "Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle" Little Children are Sacred Report (Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, 2007). The emergency measures included immediate, broad ranging measures to protect children, stabilise communities, normalise services and infrastructure and provide longer term support to build better communities.The Australian Government, as part of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER), committed to increase the capacity of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) through the provision of specialist assessment and treatment services for Aboriginal children and young people in remote NT locations suffering trauma as a result of child sexual assault. In 2008-09, the Government committed funding for four years to implement a 2007 Australian Government election commitment to expand sexual assault counselling services in remote areas in the NT - through the Better Outcomes for Hospitals and Community Health budget measure. Funding was provided to the then NT Department of Health & Families to develop and deliver the NT Sexual Assault Mobile Outreach Service (MOS). This commenced as a pilot service in April 2008, and was expanded to all remote communities in July 2008, the commencement of the period of this evaluation.
Additional funding in the 2009-10 Budget through the Closing the Gap - Northern Territory-Indigenous health and related services measure increased the size and scope of the service, which was formally expanded in November 2009 to become what is known as MOS Plus, to provide culturally safe counselling and support for children and families with trauma associated with any form of child abuse or neglect, including sexual assault.
This policy and service space continues to evolve in the NT with major reforms to the Child Protection System announced by the Northern Territory Chief Minister in October 2010, in response to the "Growing them strong, together: Promoting the Safety and Wellbeing of the Northern Territory's Children" (Report of the Board of Inquiry into the Child Protection System in the Northern Territory 2010).
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MOS Projects objectives
MOS commenced in Aboriginal communities and town camps across the NT in July 2008. MOS Plus, a continuation and expansion of the MOS, was implemented in November 2009.The objective of the MOS was to implement the SARC MOS delivery model for Aboriginal children, adolescents and their families in remote communities across the NT through the roll-out of culturally safe sexual assault counselling services.
The objective of the MOS Plus suite of services expanded the MOS objective to provide equitable access to timely, culturally safe and valued responses to Aboriginal children, adolescents and their families living in remote communities of the Northern Territory affected by trauma associated with any form of child abuse and neglect, including sexual assault.
MOS Plus service scope
MOS Plus provides a suite of therapeutic services addressing trauma from abuse and neglect to children under 18 years of age, and their families in remote Indigenous communities of the NT.It is an outreach service model (fly or drive in/out) with staff based in Darwin and Alice Springs. Initially services were provided by four discrete outreach staff teams (Top End, Katherine, Barkly and Central Australia). Currently services are provided by two staff teams: Top End/Katherine based in Darwin; and Central Australia/Barkly based in Alice Springs. Outreach staff comprises a mix of Counsellors together with Aboriginal Therapeutic Resource officers (ATROs).
Services include: the provision of direct therapeutic case work with children and their families; family and community liaison; and education to increase remote community capacity to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect. Services also extend to: the provision of sexual assault forensic medical examinations for children in or near their community; and to professional development on prevention and response to child abuse and neglect for professionals and para-professionals providing varied services to remote communities - such as health clinic and school staff.4
Evaluation objective
The objective of this evaluation was to assess the implementation of the MOS Projects service model and its impact on and outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people in their families and communities.The evaluation was designed to assess the extent to which the MOS Projects have been:
- effective in meeting the intended outcomes
- efficient in expending resources on the intended services
- appropriate to the needs of the children, families and communities it services.
Footnotes
4 Mobile Outreach Service Plus Referral Guidelines Draft Version 2.0