The Reconnect Program is a Commonwealth initiative designed to address the problem of youth homelessness. The Reconnect service model resulted from the pilot program in which 26 services across Australia developed a range of early intervention and family relations approaches to youth homelessness. The program is aimed at improving the level of engagement of young people who are homeless or those at risk of homelessness, with family, work, education, training and the community. It currently funds 96 early intervention services nationally.
This final report outlines the conclusions of a two-year longitudinal study of Reconnect services’ role in building capacity for early intervention into youth homelessness. An interim report was published in April 2002 which outlines the conceptual basis for the study, the methodology and the results of the first stage.
In addition to this longitudinal study on community capacity, the Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS) funded a second longitudinal study on the outcomes achieved for a sample of young people and adults who had used Reconnect services during 2001-2002 (this related study is reported separately). The two longitudinal studies are key components of a broader evaluation of the Reconnect program as a whole. Making the Difference (the interim evaluation report of the program) was published by FaCS in January 2002 and the final Reconnect evaluation report is anticipated later in 2003.
The community study consisted of an investigation of twelve Reconnect services over a one-year period. The first investigation was conduc ted during November and December 2001 with the second stage conducted in October to November 2002. The twelve services were selected to be reflective of the broader Reconnect program, were located in remote, rural and urban locations and included specifically targeted as well as generalist services.
Sources of information for the community study included phone interviews with Reconnect staff; 2-day site visits in November/December 2001 and again in October and November 2002; 144 interviews with other services providers who work closely with Reconnect services; meetings which were attended by 110 individual service providers; and focus groups with 57 young people, 57 parent s/carers and 15 community members.
This final report of the study has concluded that the twelve Reconnect services investigated have had a significant impact, relative to their own capacity, on building community capacity for early intervention for youth homelessness in three key ways:
- by building community infrastructure for early intervention;
- by strengthening service networks and collaboration between agencies;
- through assisting other organisations to have a greater focus on effective early intervention.