Compliance Bulletin

Measuring the program’s impact for Tutors and participating families happens at both a site and network level.

Families

Family information is collected through forms such as the enrolment and journey forms, pack delivery forms and family support, which can be used at the site level to track program delivery, the confidence and progress of families’ learning journeys and the supports provided to families.

At a network level this data can be used to demonstrate program efficacy, illustrate the range of enrichment opportunities families are accessing and identify patterns – such as points in the program where families may need additional support.

Tutors

Tutor information, collected through Tutor training, professional development, supervised home visit and P2P forms, can be used at the site level to monitor and support Tutors’ development and growth, allowing Coordinators to deliver training responsive to Tutors’ development needs and to structure supervision around a Tutor’s caseload.

At the network level, this information can show HIPPY Australia National Office how long Tutors are typically in the role, common areas of professional development (which could prompt the creation of whole-of-network training opportunities) and whether certain concepts need to be featured more prominently in the Tutor training guides.

The timely input of accurate data makes supporting effective planning and delivery easier.

When Coordinators have access to up-to-date data they can use ETO’s reporting features to see how Tutors and families are progressing. Reports allow Coordinators to see such data as what packs their families are on, the referrals that have been made for each family (and by extension their current needs and priorities) and the time Tutors are spending with families. All of this information can very quickly paint a picture of what is going on at a site and support the identification of gaps in delivery.

Monitoring and evaluating network data drives much of HIPPY Australia’s quality improvement work at the network level. Many projects and initiatives have been developed in response to reviewing and reflecting on data from sites.

For example, early exit information, reports from Coordinators and a national study of recruitment and retention have shown that, after the initial few months of HIPPY, the time that families are most likely to disengage from the program is during the summer break between Age 3 and Age 4 delivery. This led to the development of a Recruitment and Retention Guide that supports sites’ planning and 1 2 3 GO! optional activity packs for families to stay connected with their site over the holidays.

Other initiatives prompted by program monitoring include:

• HIPPY’s partnership with Goodstart Early Learning – Acknowledging that many Tutors wanted to continue their early years journeys beyond their time with HIPPY, HIPPY Australia and Goodstart have created direct employment pathways to careers in Early Childhood Education.

• Targeted network webinars – Hosting webinars on topics identified by Coordinators and Tutors as being particularly relevant, including supporting a comprehensive understanding of the NDIS early childhood approach and navigating Services Australia.

Demonstrating HIPPY’s national success has always been an important consideration in developing our performance management system and monitoring and evaluation strategies and initiatives.

Collecting and evaluating data supports HIPPY Australia in evidencing the program’s outcomes and outputs. This includes showing parents’, children’s and Tutors’ development over the course of the program or numbers of Tutors accessing formal and informal training. Ultimately proving that HIPPY delivers benefits across its four outcome areas supports our advocacy for the program, ensuring that HIPPY continues to positively impact the lives of thousands of HIPPY families each year.

Research

HIPPY Australia’s monitoring and evaluation has been fundamental in building the program’s evidence base. Periodically, the Brotherhood of St. Laurence and the Department of Social Services (DSS) has commissioned specific research into the program’s efficacy. Examples of this include:

• The HIPPY longitudinal study

• The Tutor study

• Recruiting and retaining families in HIPPY

As a member of an international network of programs, HIPPY Australia’s research also feeds into multinational efforts to demonstrate the programs impact and efficacy. The HIPPY International literature review collates five decades worth of HIPPY research showing the program has made a significant impact.

The assessment component consists of the Assessment of Program Quality (APQ) visit, which involves a HIPPY Australia team member (usually a Site Advisor) coming to a HIPPY site to observe delivery. They will typically observe a Gathering, Tutor training and home visits; interview key stakeholders; and meet with HIPPY staff to reflect on the visit, providing feedback.

The purpose of the APQ is to assess program quality through completing the Quality tool and identifying potential goals for the site’s Development plan.

The monitoring component is made up of the HIPPY provider performance framework and the Compliance checklist.

The HIPPY provider performance framework’s purpose is to aid HIPPY Australia in monitoring and assessing the performance of each individual HIPPY site, provide a framework to guide the support of sites and improve accountability for Sublicence performance. The framework is currently being developed.

The Compliance checklist is a tool used annually to monitor whether HIPPY sites are fulfilling the requirements of the Sublicence and Funding Agreement. The checklist is typically completed by the site’s Site Advisor online. When part of an APQ the checklist will be completed by the APQ assessor.

Coaching and capacity building covers Support visits, where Site Advisors travel to sites on an ‘as-needs’ basis when it has been determined that the site needs focussed support that cannot be achieved through regular remote contact. Support visits may or may not include one or more of the following:

• Completion of the Compliance checklist
• Review of existing Development plan goals (or discussion of new goals)
• Targeted support and coaching, and
• Discussions with key HIPPY provider stakeholders.

Though not exclusively part of coaching and capacity building, annual Development plans, where sites set themselves a maximum of three goals and review them biannually, are an important opportunity for sites to grow their practice.

Reporting relates to the annual and biannual reports mentioned in the following section (which are covered in more detail there) and the completion of the Annual statement of safeguarding compliance (ASoSC).

All HIPPY providers are required to complete an ASoSC form to declare their compliance with safeguarding obligations for the previous year (as outlined in the Sublicence).

This report is completed biannually and is entered into ETO. The report includes information on:

• Recruitment and retention
• Program delivery to families
• Tutor training and development
• Support needs
• HIPPY stories (narrative demonstrating the impact of HIPPY)

This report is completed biannually and is entered into ETO. This report provides a summary of site operations, outlining how the Line Manager has supported the Coordinator strategically and operationally.

This includes the annual financial report, the financial year budget and the biannual financial actuals.

Yes, there will be. The new cycle will be explained in a new quality assurance guide.

In 2025, we are conducting Quality Visits to a number of sites instead of Assessment of Program Quality visits (APQs). We are currently working on redeveloping the APQ Tool which will be ready for use in2026.

We anticipate launching the framework and accompanying guide later this year.

Yes, you can. Please contact ETO Support to set up a session.