Education Engagement

Partnership 2012

Summary Review Across Cities of Stonnington & Port Phillip

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Education Engagement Partnership Summary:

The Education Engagement Partnership (EEP) is a partnership of fifteen agencies including local

government, schools, youth services and community health. EEP supports services who work with

young people aged 10 – 19, who are currently disengaged or at risk of disengaging from education,

employment or training, across the local government areas (LGA’s) of Stonnington and Port Phillip.

The partnership adds value to education and youth services by providing data collection and

analysis, cross agency and evidence based responses to enhance the engagement and retention of

vulnerable young people in meaningful education or work.

Purpose of this report:

The EEP aims to provide useful data and information to partnership agencies and to support a model

of collaborative response to gaps and opportunities that emerge from this data and other sources.

This report represents the second year (2012) of data collection through the partnership and the

regular data updates and analysis that is delivered by the EEP Project Officer and the Data Analysis

Working Group to partnership agencies and youth networks.

This report includes:

a. 2012 quantitative and qualitative data

b. An overview of the EEP in 2012

c. Summary of future work

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Education Engagement Partnership Vision:

All young people 10-19 studying, residing or engaging in the Cities of Stonnington and Port Phillip

have access to meaningful and sustainable education, training or employment.

Project Officer’s Report:

The Education Engagement Partnership Across Cities of Stonnington & Port Phillip strived and

succeeded to embed its collaborative practices and recommendations into the service landscape

during a year of change. The EEP role was relocated from Swinburne University of Technology (with

its closure) to Stonnington Youth & Adventure Playground Services.

The EEP has been impacted by the closure of direct services such as First Stop at Swinburne

University of Technology and the Education Support Coordinator at Ardoch Youth Foundation with

submitted data down by approximately 400 young people from 2011. However, EEP’s data continues

to provide strong and clear evidence of what youth disengagement from education, employment or

training looks like in the Cities of Stonnington and Port Phillip.

2012 was a year of consolidating EEP’s purpose and reaping the benefits. The EEP has moved from a

period of data collection and analysis to drawing from the evidence and developing

recommendations to the Steering Committee to respond to identified trends, themes and gaps.

EEP Objectives

1. Improve education, training and employment outcomes for young people 10-19

most at risk of disengagement or already disengaged

2. Increase support to all stakeholders working with young people 10-19 at risk of

disengagement (schools, services, parents, police, mental health services)

3. Gather information about young people 10-19 at risk of disengagement in order

to best target resources and programs

4. Identify gaps and advocate for long term policy and funding responses from

Government and other community stakeholders.

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a. Data 2012: Quantitative and Qualitative

Collection methodology

Data is gathered via seven agencies (the Action Team) who submit data regularly or on a monthly

basis. The fields of data collected include; age, gender, LGA of residence, referred by, length of

disengagement, reasons for disengagement and last level of education completed. All quantitative

data is stored on the EEP database. Information is gathered about each young person at the time

they make contact with the Action Team worker. Qualitative data in the form of individual and group

case studies of vulnerable young people has also been submitted by Action Team workers and is

stored on the EEP database.

The organisations collecting data are:

Prahran

Community

learning Centre

(PCLC)

St Kilda Youth

Services

(SKYS)

Inner South

Community

Health Service

(ISCHS)

Youth Connect

(Youth

Connections)

Ardoch Youth

Foundation

Stonnington

Youth Services

First Stop:

Swinburne

University of

Technology

Education

Engagement

Partnership

900

Young people’s

data

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Database development:

EEP has developed an online database with the assistance of private contractor Per Halvarsson. The

database holds all data submitted by Action Team members. Action Team agencies have the ability

to log-on with their own password and download reports on their own agency’s data as well as Total

Data Reports1. Steering Committee members whose agencies are not represented on the Action

Team can also download Total Data Reports. The database now has the capacity to breakdown data

into Local Government Area’s (LGA) and Age Groups in correlation with Reasons for Disengagement

and Length of Disengagement.

Using and accessing the data

The data is owned by the partnership and partnership agencies are encouraged to employ the data

in any way deem useful. The EEP Project Officer can be contacted at any time to provide data to

partnership agencies.

Direct access to aggregate (de-identified) data including case studies, reports and emerging analysis

is available to all partnership agencies via password access to the EEP database.

Data analysis

The partnership undertakes ongoing analysis of current and future data through the Data Analysis

Working Group (DAWG), which reports back to the EEP Steering Committee on emerging trends and

opportunities. Two years worth of data reflecting 900 vulnerable young people connecting with local

schools and agencies has now been gathered and strong trends, themes and gaps have emerged.

Interested Steering Committee members are encouraged to join the DAWG by contacting the EEP

Project Officer.

1 Total Data Reports are the entire Action Teams data collated into one table with no identification of

individual agencies.

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Data report: Quantitative

EEP data has been tested for its validity and has been endorsed by Dr Sue Green PhD Psychology,

Psychology Board of Australia. EEP data does come with its limitations which include all data collated

and analysed depict young people who are at risk or have disengaged from education, employment

or training and have accessed a service for support purposes. This data does not encompass all young

people residing or having a meaningful connection to Cities of Stonnington and Port Phillip.

Table 1: Referred by

• From January 2012 – December 2012 services referring to other services, or education

providers referring to services is the most common way in which young people access

partnership agency support with 49% of all referrals coming through these channels.

• 34% of young people have either self referred or have been referred to a service by a family

or friend.

• 14% of young people were referred to an Action Team service by a government provider

(such as Centrelink).

Table 2: Gender

More males than females are accessing partnership agencies although the divide is not great - 56%

male and 44% female.

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Table 3: Local Government Area young person resides

• 35% of young people live in Port Phillip and 25% in Stonnington.

• 35% of young people reside outside the Local Government Areas of Port Phillip and

Stonnington. These young people are either attending an educational facility, employed or

accessing a service in the Cities of Port Phillip or Stonnington.

Table 4: Age at point of contact

• 69% of young people who are at risk or have disengaged were aged between 15 – 19.

• 15% are aged between 10 – 14 and 14% are over the age of 19.

Table 5: Last level of education completed

• Years 9 and 10 represent the highest level of education attained by the majority (44%) of

young people accessing support from partnership agencies during 2012.

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• 18% of the young people accessing services have between grade 6 – year 8 as the highest

level of education completed.

• 13% of all young people who accessed support services during 2012 have year 11 or 12 as

there last year of education completed.

Table 6: At risk of/ Length of time disengaged

• 60% of young people accessing Action Team services throughout Port Phillip and

Stonnington fall into the “at risk2” categories with the majority of them in the “medium” risk

category.

• Significantly, 20% of young people were disenaged for 1 – 6 months and 12% of young

people had been disenagegd for over 12 months beofre contacting a partnership agency.

2 The definitions of “at risk” of disengagement include:

At risk – low: Short term intervention needed (2 hours or more), support to maintain education through

material aid, pathway planning, one off referral or information.

At risk – medium: Short term engagement through case management, two or more reasons for

disengagement, young person is attending more than 50% of classes.

At risk- high: Case management, multiple barriers to education, young person is attending less than 50% of

classes. These definitions were established by a steering committee working group which reviewed current

government definitions and literature.

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Table 7: Factors3 relating to disengagement

• Most young people identified one or more factors relating to their need for support or as

reason for disengagement.

• EEP’s qualitative information supports the premise that when young people present to

agencies seeking support into alternative education, as highlighted in this data set, there is

generally more than one factor relating to why that young person is looking to move out of

mainstream education.

• Mental health4 was the leading factor for young people at risk of or already disengaged from

education.

• Family breakdown, low levels of literacy and numeracy, drugs and alcohol and housing also

related to young peoples vulnerability in staying enagged in education.

• The “Other” category has strong themes emerging such as; young people having

experienced bullying in school, young people at risk or disenaging from school due to

Dyslexia or Aspergers, parents with mental health or drug and alcohol issues, Culturally &

Linguistically Diverse (CALD) or Indigenous background as well as behavioural issues.

3 These factors are self identified by young people or highlighted through agency case manager assessment

processes. 4 The partnership acknowledges the potential variation in the definition of barriers to engagement such as

mental health.

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Comparison of 2011 and 2012 data:

The 7 fields of data’s emerging trends of 2011 and 2012 did not alter greatly, although the ‘Other’

category in Factors Relating to Disengagement differed somewhat.

Reason for

Disengagement

2011 2012

Referred by 1. Service

2. Self referred or referred by

family or friend

3. School/ education provider

1. Service

2. Self referred or referred by

family or friend

3. School/ education provider

Gender Spilt fairly evenly – primarily males Spilt fairly evenly – primarily males

LGA The split between young people

residing in Cities of Port Phillip and

Stonnington approximately 25%

each with the majority of young

people living outside the 2 LGA’s but

having a meaningful connection with

either of the LGA’s

The split between young people

residing in Cities of Port Phillip and

Stonnington approximately 25%

each with the majority of young

people living outside the 2 LGA’s

but having a meaningful connection

with either of the LGA’s

Age at point of

contact

15 – 19 yrs old was the primary age

of young people accessing support

15 – 19 yrs old was the primary age

of young people accessing support

Last level of

education completed

1. Years 9 and 10 represent the

highest level of education

attained by the majority

(47%) of young people

accessing support from

partnership agenices.

2. 19% of young people have

between grade 6 to year 8 as

the highest level of

education completed.

1. Years 9 and 10 represent

the highest level of

education attained by the

majority (44%) of young

people accessing support

from partnership agencies.

3. 18% of young people have

between grade 6 to year 8

as the highest level of

education completed.

At risk / Length of

disengagement

The ‘at risk/length of

disengagement’ category came in to

the data set mid-way through 2011;

comparisons with 2012 are not

feasible.

The ‘at risk/length of

disengagement’ category came in to

the data set mid-way through 2011;

comparisons with 2012 are not

feasible.

Factors relating to

disengagement

1. Most young people

identified one or more

factors relating to their need

for support or as reason for

disengagement.

2. Most young people who

contact partnership agencies

1. Most young people

identified one or more

factors relating to their

need for support or as

reason for disengagement.

2. Most young people who

contact partnership

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were seeking alternative

education or employment as

one factor in their need for

support.

3. Mental health was the

number factor relating to

disengagement

4. The ‘other’ category

included:

Parent with mental health

or drug & alcohol issues

CALD and behavioural

factors.

agencies were seeking

alternative education or

employment as one factor

in their need for support.

3. Mental health was the

number factor relating to

disengagement

4. The ‘other’ category

included:

Bullying, Dyslexia,

Aspergers, Indigenours,

CALD, parents with mental

health and drug & alcohol

issues.

Data report: Qualitative

Case studies are submitted by partnership workers to the action team in order to brainstorm

responses, develop a multi service response and to highlight potential gaps in local provision.

Themes identified from the 2012 qualitative data includes:

MENTAL HEALTH

RELATIONSHIPS

SOCIAL

EDUCATION

SERVICES

Anxiety, depression, AOD, fear,

trauma.

Negative experiences with family,

friends, peers.

Feeling isolated, experiences of

bullying.

Long periods of time spent in and

out of education, issues fitting in

with current learning model, lack of

availability of alternate learning

models in school, learning

difficulties.

Issue maintaining engagement with

services.

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Two case studies are included below.

Case 1:

Gender: Male

Age: 14

LGA: City of Port Phillip

Last year level of school completed: Year 7

Outline reasons for disengagement:

• Currently residing in emergency housing with Mother and younger sibling.

• Has previously resided in residential housing and has lived in eight different areas in the last 3

years

• Father is not in the picture and has been in and out of jail all of young person’s life

• Child protection is involved with the younger sibling

• Young person drinks alcohol frequently

• Mum has identified as having a problem with alcohol

• Young person is hard to get in contact - changing mobile phone numbers regularly

• Young person is reluctant to engage with services

• Young person associates himself with older people

• Young person carries out risk taking behaviours such as catching public transport throughout

the night all over Melbourne

• Young person carries knives on his body

Outline implementation of supports in place /pathway response/ case plan:

• Young person has been referred to Oakwood School (however has stated he does not want to

attend this year)

• Has completed some of the “Roll On” engagement program

• Mum is having some support around her own mental health issues and drug and alcohol use.

Outline EEP approach taken:

• Draw on physical activities such as sport & recreation as a way of engaging him

• Kombiz Youth Drop-In on Friday nights as a way to link in with services and PCYC, have PCYC

worker as a kind of mentor. Link into other PCYC (gym) programs through this avenue.

• Kombiz Youth Drop-In: meet other local people his own age through local, safe social

situations.

• Ensure there is a format to appointments with case manager

• Need to be clear and open about boundaries and limitations to the case manager’s role.

• Make sure expectations of your role are reasonable and achievable

• Recognition that the young person has already experienced adults letting him down – must be

very clear about boundaries with your role.

• Develop a case plan with small achievable goals each week and reflect on them.

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Case Study 2:

Gender: Female

Age: 18

LGA: City of Port Phillip

Last year level of school completed: Intermediate VCAL

Outline reasons for disengagement:

• Long term client

• Mother has significant mental health issues

• Mother believes young person also has mental health issues – although this is not endorsed

up by CYMHS workers

• Not much of a relationship with Father

• Has started to disengage from school (Swinburne - senior VCAL)

• Has not applied for VET subject – this will impact VCAL completion

• Mother inundates school staff and support worker with communication either through

email s or by dropping in

• Young person acts as a carer for mum

• No drug or alcohol issues

Outline implementation of supports in place /pathway response/ case plan:

• Initially attended appointments regularly and was attending school

• Initially case plan was around supporting young person to link in with VET and general

support – however young person is no longer presenting

• Considering exiting her due to lack of contact

Outline EEP approach taken:

• Exit young person – saving vs empowering

• Let her know she can always come back to the program – ensure it’s a positive experience

for her

• Explain young person has choices including not linking in with service

• Try for one last appointment to look at practical outcomes ie Avidity CII Hair & Beauty IMVC

• For worker: Ensure you sit with your supervisor and reflect on what the positives of this

case have been, what you have learnt and what the outcomes have been for both you and

the client.

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b. An overview of the EEP in 2012

Key Achievements of the EEP 2010 - 2012

1. FRAMEWORK:

The development of a framework of collaborative partnership across Cities of Port Phillip

and Stonnington as evident in EEP governance documents and policies and procedures

associated with the partnership. This level of collaboration is considered best practise.

1. DATABASE:

A comprehensive database has been developed. This is a unique collaboration regarding the

collation and analysis of data with 8 agencies pooling this information. All 15 EEP partners

can access and generate specific reports.

2. VALIDITY / METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION:

Solid quantitative and qualitative evidence of what youth disengagement from education

looks like in Cities of Port Phillip and Stonnington. This data has been tested by Dr Sue Green

(PHD) and the results are the data set is being collated meticulously and rigorously and can

be used in the public domain.

3. THEMES:

Six major themes have emerged from the EEP database identifying factors relating to

disengagement these include: mental health, literacy and numeracy, systems within schools,

transitions (from grade 6 to year 7), drugs and alcohol and family breakdown.

4. INFORMED PRACTICE:

The implementation of strategic/ evidence based responses to youth disengagement.

Benefits of the EEP

1. YOUNG PEOPLE

a) ACCESS:

• Between 2010 – 2012 over 900 young people have accessed EEP and partnership agencies

for support to re-engage into education, employment or training.

• Support to young people regarding information and referral to appropriate support services.

b) NEW SERVICES:

• Oakwood School satellite campus out of South Melbourne: An identified gap in

education delivery in Port Phillip was identified through EEP data for young people aged in

the “middle years” (8 – 14) who are completely disengaged from education. Oakwood

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School is a Department of Education & Early Childhood (DEECD) educational model and is

now delivering literacy and numeracy education and pathways back into either alternative

or mainstream education.

C) IMPROVED SERVICES

• Improved service delivery of case managers due to the analysis of qualitative data and the

delivery of secondary consult by The Alfred Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Service(CYMHS); topics addressed include client confidentiality, intake and assessment skills,

and creating boundaries with clients.

2. SCHOOLS:

a) NETWORKING & COLLABORATION:

• A unique networking opportunity for schools to work closely with community agencies, local

government and other local schools.

• EEP Policy & Directions Statement: This policy is currently being developed in conjunction

with Melbourne University and is based on the EEP data findings. The Policy has a set of

statements regarding keeping ‘at risk’ young people engaged in school. The policy also has a

set of actions/ recommendations for schools to utilise to keep their most ‘at risk’ students in

school. Schools have been consulted and have contributed in this process.

B) REFERRALS & SUPPORT

• Utilising EEP for information and referral schools have indicated this service is vital for them

when working with ‘at risk’ students.

3. COMMUNITY:

a) ENTRY POINT

• For parents and young people EEP is a simple contact point for any information and referrals

regarding education, employment or training for young people who’re at risk of disengaging.

b) EVIDENCE

• For the first time 15 agencies have access to data relating to young people who’ve accessed

agencies due to issues relating to disengagement. From this database, agencies can run

reports specific to their needs such as for funding applications, evidence of needs, gaps and

trends.

c) NETWORKING & COLLABORATION

• Networks in Cities of Port Phillip and Stonnington have access to evidence of where

professional development is required for direct service delivery.

• A cross collaboration and care team approach of 7 key services across Port Phillip and

Stonnington who now meet monthly (action team meetings) to discuss and disseminate

complex cases with The Alfred Hospital undertaking secondary consult with the group.

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c. Summary of future work

2013 and beyond:

Through the strength of EEP’s collaborative approach and drawing on our strong working

relationship with the Youth Research Centre, Graduate School of Education at Melbourne University,

EEP is looking forward to an exciting year of collaborating with the partnership in delivering evidence

based responses to the trends, themes and gaps as identified by the EEP data.

Projects such as the EEP Policy and Directions Statement and the Good Practice and Partnership

Report will roll out over 2013 in response to the identified themes. These important documents

have been established through rigorous consultation with local schools and key services and are live

documents to assist in supporting the continuous quality improvement of educational and service

delivery to our most vulnerable young people. EEP will carry on exploring innovative responses to

emerging needs throughout 2013 – 2014.

EEP will continue to act in an advocacy role to government departments such as Department of

Education and Early Childhood Development and Department of Human Services giving marginalised

young people a voice during a time of state and federal policy reform.

Membership in the EEP has grown from 2012 to 2013; EEP welcome’s Holmesglen TAFE, Taskforce

Community Agency and Southport Uniting Care in becoming members and say thank you to

Swinburne University of Technology and Elwood College who have withdrawn from the partnership.

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Comments from local services providers:

The statements below have been provided solely for publication in this report.

Youth Connect – Youth Connections

“The benefit that Youth Connect have in being involved with EEP is that hands on ability to gather

relevant data that can influence the work that our Youth Workers undertake. The data is a ‘real

time’ reflection of what is happening on the ground in relation to the circumstances that young

people are experiencing. Further, I would also say that the collaborative approach taken by EEP is

useful in establishing inter-service relationships that has a flow-on effect for our workers and the

young people that they work with.”

Megan Dow

Youth Services Team Leader

St Kilda Youth Services (SKYS)

“The EEP has been of great benefit to SKYS. The action team has enabled shared practise across a

number of partner organisations. Youth workers taking part have been able to gain expertise and

insight from other professionals on cases that have been presented. This forum has proved very

useful to SKYS workers around problem solving particular issues relating to difficult cases and has

increased their access to external opinions and expertise as to the best way to solve particular

challenges.

Further it has been really useful having solid local evidence regarding disengaged young people.

Having this available to all partnership members has been of great use to analyse trends in the local

youth population. In 2013 SKYS plans to build on the strategic use of this data to support its

directions in working with young people across the region who are disengaged from education,

employment and training.”

Nick Johns

Education manager

Inner Easter Local Learning Employment Network (IELLEN)

“Analysis of local data is a key factor in providing an evidence based response to critical issues/gaps

identified in the IELLEN Environmental Scan. The Environmental Scan and the identified critical

issues/gaps are fundamental to developing a current and locally relevant strategic plan.

EEP data has started to provide a valuable range of information to inform the IELLEN’s strategic

direction and planning. The 2012 IELLEN strategic plan uses a baseline established from the EEP data

to identify the number of at risk young people who have been connected with local services,

programs and case management to support their retention and or reengagement in education and or

training.

As partnership brokers the LLENs see partnerships as the most effective way to build community

capacity. The EEP has created a platform for building that capacity through ongoing commitment

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and collaboration. In addition EEP has highlighted the value of partnerships to not only address

current but also identify emerging issues at the local level.”

Gill Meek

CEO

City of Stonnignton - Youth Services

“The Council is extremely supportive of the EEP program, which aims to work collaboratively with

local government, key agencies, the education sector and young people.

EEP sits in the service landscape as a central point of data and information for disengaged youth. This

function of monitoring engagement over 12 months serves to provide a continuity of care to

disengaged youth, whilst also allowing data collection for accurate research on youth disengagement

and evaluation of the EEP program.

The City of Stonnington is highly supportive of its ongoing participation in the EEP program and the

opportunity to continue to work in partnership with the City of Port Phillip, schools, key agencies and

young people.”

Cath Harrod

Coordinator - Youth & Adventure Playground Services Coordinator

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APPENDIX 1- PARTNERSHIP MEMBERS 2012

The Inner Eastern Local Learning & Employment Network

Ardoch Youth Foundation

City of Port Phillip

City of Stonnington - Youth Services

The Inner Melbourne VET Cluster

Prahran Community Learning Centre

St Kilda Youth Service

Youth Connect

Southport Uniting Care

Swinburne University of Technology

Elwood College

School Focussed Youth Service

Victoria Police

St Kilda Primary School

The Department of Education & Early Childhood Development

Inner South Community Health Service

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APPENDIX 2- PARTNERSHIP MEMBERS 2013

The Inner Eastern Local Learning & Employment Network

Ardoch Youth Foundation

City of Port Phillip

City of Stonnington - Youth Services

The Inner Melbourne VET Cluster

Prahran Community Learning Centre

St Kilda Youth Service

Youth Connect

Southport Uniting Care

Holmesglen TAFE

Taskforce Community Agency

School Focussed Youth Service

Victoria Police

St Kilda Primary School

The Department of Education & Early Childhood Development

Inner South Community Health Service