Proposed research project title

Impacts of the cost of living and housing crisis on the social services sector workforce

Description of lead organisation

Catholic Social Services Victoria (CSSV) is the peak body for Catholic social services across the state. Underpinned by Catholic Social Teaching, we work with our 40+ member organisations, to assist the Catholic bishops and broader Catholic community across Victoria, to fulfil the gospel imperatives to stand with and serve the poor, disadvantaged and marginalised, and to work for a just, equitable and compassionate society. Together our member organisations support over 300,000 people per year.

Existing relationship with ACU

CSSV has a strong existing relationship with ACU in numerous ways.

CSSV previously partnered with ACU via SESU to undertake the research report Scarring Effects of the Pandemic Economy, released in 2022, written with Dr. Tom Barnes. We co-launched this report with a panel of leaders within social services, held a number of briefings, and organised MP visits as a result of this report together with ACU.

ACU has generously sponsored a number of CSSV events in recent years, including the National Catholic Social Services Conference in early 2024, and the upcoming CSSV Annual Dinner to be held in August 2025.

CSSV's ED will be presenting a paper at the upcoming ACU conference Idol Talk? In the Image of the Disabled God Disability, the Imago Dei and Practical Consequences.

CSSV continues to appreciate the opportunities and expert knowledge and capacity for collaboration with ACU and sees strong synergies in our mission and values.

Context of the research project

One of the lynch pins of the Victorian Government's 10 year housing plan is the creation of 'affordable housing'. This housing is ill-defined, and as it stands, likely out of the reach of low paid workers, some of whom work within aged care, early childhood education and care, and in support roles within social services.

Broader workforce challenges in the social and community services sector have been identified by both government and service providers in recent years. The CSSV Strategic Planning Member Survey results showed that workforce challenges were consistently

raised as a significant issue facing Catholic social service providers in Victoria over the next five years.

With cost of living and housing affordability front of mind for many, it is important to consider how these factors may be impacting on the experience of social service workers, and the implications for wider recruitment and retention, given lower rates of pay in the sector. It is sobering to consider that much of the housing that is currently defined as 'affordable' by Government may in fact be out of reach for many workers in our sector.

Essential workers have been identified as a key focus group in affordable housing supply, but the Victorian Government has a narrow working definition of 'essential' workers, which currently does not include social and community services workers (eg. Regional Worker Accommodation Fund). A recent meeting with the Australian Services Union Vic/Tas highlighted this concern. The ASU expressed that they do not have good information of the impacts of housing and associated aggregate salaries of social services staff which makes targeted advocacy on this issue difficult, although anecdotally from our sector there are reports of housing stress and movement/attrition from the sector due to a lack of secure/affordable housing options for workers given their income/wage.

Proposed research questions

How many workers in our member organisations are paid in the lower-moderate income bracket? Could this be extrapolated across the social services sector more broadly?

How is the cost of living and housing crisis impacting the Catholic social services sector?

Are social service workers able to access affordable housing within a reasonable distance of their workplace?

In a sector that has limited salary potential, what are the motivating factors for workforce participation? Do these factors relate to organisational mission and values?

Objectives of the research

To collect data on aggregated salary information across the Catholic social services sector, so we can understand whether 'affordable' housing is affordable for them.

To survey Catholic social services staff about their housing costs and concerns, so as to determine the impact of the housing crisis on this cohort and their livelihoods.

To survey staff about their intentions to remain in the sector and what factors influence this decision.

Anticipated outcomes and outputs

A public facing report that includes the baseline aggregated data that relates lower paid social services workforce and their futures in our sector with existing housing policy, which can then be used to advocate for better definitions of affordable housing in Victoria, with possible application across the country.

The report could assist workforce planning and advocacy for further/other supports required to ensure the wellbeing of staff, and therefore the ongoing ability for social services to be effectively delivered in difficult times.

The report may find that working for a Catholic/values based organisation is meaningful in assisting staff to make sacrifices of higher salaries in other sectors, which demonstrate a strength of faith based organisations.

A series of meetings with relevant state and federal Ministers and Members of Parliament to advocate for policies that support the needs of lower-moderate income earners in the social services sector.

This report could see unions and employers working together for a common goal, which does not happen much in the social services sector.

How many people do you anticipate the research will benefit?

The Catholic social services sector in Victoria includes over 7,500 staff supporting over 300,000 people (Faith, Hope and Love: Mapping and contextualising the contributions of Victoria's Catholic social services sector, 2024). This research would support advocacy for the wellbeing of these workers, particularly those with lower incomes (eg. aged care and disability workers).

Organisations' anticipated timeframe

We anticipate the research project will be carried out over a period of 12 months:

Phase 1: Working with researchers to further define research parameters and engage partner organisations from within CSSV's membership base - 4 months

Phase 2: Data collection (aggregated salary information and staff surveys) - 2 months

Phase 3: Collation and analysis of data and development of research report - 3 months

Phase 4: Dissemination and advocacy (report launch, meetings, briefings) - 3 months

Existing data

CSSV does not itself collect relevant data, however it's 40+ member organisations have salary related data they have indicated they could make available. From initial discussions with members., aggregate data could be made available for the project. Broad endorsement has been received for this proposal from the CSSV Council, which is made up of six elected members from across the CSSV membership base, as well as the CSSV Policy/Advocacy/Research Committee which draws its membership from the larger organisations policy teams.

Involvement of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people

This research relates to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as employees of Catholic social service organisations.

CSSV is not, nor are any of our members, an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander controlled organisation.

CSSV member organisations include the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Victoria, and many of our members partner with and provide support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations including MacKillop Family Services, Jesuit Social Services, Edmund Rice Community Services etc.

Involvement of minors

No.

Organisations' project lead, expertise and their desired support from ACU

Project Lead Nominee: Josh Lourensz

CSSV brings a diverse network of member organisations and sector relationships to this project which will be beneficial in developing collaborative partnerships. CSSV's experience in partnering for the Scarring Effects SESU research project places us well in working with ACU and our members to gather data and ensure productive working relationships at an aggregate level. CSSV is comprised of a small but dedicated team who offer capacity in delivering on project requirements.

Josh is the Executive Director and CSSV has commissioned research and co-designed questions with a number of researchers and academics. This project has the support of the CSSV Policy/Advocacy/Research Committee who have a range of research backgrounds and skills.

Skills or expertise CSSV is seeking assistance with from ACU:

Quantitative data analytical skills

Survey design

Familiarity with policy and legislative documents

Interest in housing and/or sector workforce issues

In-kind contributions from the organisations

Rather CSSV would be looking to activate its member organisations, along with potentially the Australian Services Union Vic/Tas for data contributions. CSSV has trusted and respected relationships with our member organisations due to a track record of consistent, meaningful work, so we are confident that aggregate data and a staff survey will be rolled out in collaboration.

Proposed partner agencies

VMCH: https://vmch.com.au/

MacKillop Family Services: https://www.mackillop.org.au/

CatholicCare Victoria: https://www.catholiccarevic.org.au/

St John of God Accord: https://accorddisability.sjog.org.au/

Sacred Heart Mission: https://www.sacredheartmission.org/

Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand: https://goodshep.org.au/

Jesuit Social Services: https://jss.org.au/

VincentCare: https://www.vincentcare.org.au/

Assisi Centre: https://assisicentre.com.au/

Nazareth House: https://nazarethcare.com.au/locations/camberwell/

CSSV intends to partner with a number of our member organisations on this research project. As a peak body, CSSV has 40+ members, with an overall staff base of 7500 people, and strong and trusted relationships with our members. Recruitment and retention of staff is an ongoing challenge in the social services sector, as well as broad commitment to the issue of housing generally, so understanding and addressing housing affordability as a key aspect of enabling a stable workforce is vital for these organisations.

This project has received broad initial endorsement from our members by going through internal processes. There would need to be further development of the research questions prior to pitching the exact data requests, and survey circulation, across members. From initial conversations and responses, there has been positive support.

Recommendations from the SESU Advisory Group

If the project involves First Nations communities, the project may be classed as 'higher risk' from a research ethics perspective.

Collection of demographic and salary data potentially from marginalised/vulnerable populations is proposed. Aggregated data can be provided however, consent for third party use is unconfirmed.

Proposed research project title

Hope Horizons Wellbeing Program

Description of lead organisation

Hope Horizons Cancer Wellness Centre opened its doors in Toowoomba, Southeast Queensland in 2017. Born from a desire to see accessible allied health and wellbeing services provided for those living with cancer in the region, while ever cancer remains, our mission is to diminish its impact. Our purpose is to improve the quality of life of people with a cancer diagnosis by addressing the physical, psychological and social needs in a holistic environment (outside a clinical setting). Our services are provided with no out-of-pocket expense to our clients, with the gap costs covered wholly by our fundraising efforts. The types of services we offer include; psychology, oncology massage, exercise physiology, physiotherapy, art and music therapy, yoga and meditation, dentistry, support groups and education.

Existing relationship with ACU

One of the board members is an academic staff member in Brisbane.

Context of the research project

The need for this project is substantiated by evidence from research, industry peers and through comprehensive feedback from Hope Horizons focus groups, individual interviews with stakeholders, oncology specialists, clients, and allied health professionals. Across these channels of awareness, a consistent theme emerged: there is still a significant gap which exists in the provision of holistic care and integrated therapies for cancer patients, especially in regional and rural Australia. Care is reported as being fragmented with inadequate information at critical points in their cancer journey. This often leads to increased stress, suboptimal health outcomes, and diminished quality of life.

The leaders in Comprehensive Care Centres such as Peter MacCallum and Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, recommend strategies to address the health disparities that are present in our communities by having integrative cancer services available to all patients. Not only is there evidence to support the benefit of improved quality of life for patients but also the health economic benefit by keeping people out of hospital. Regional Integrative cancer centres or Wellness centres are not well represented in Queensland, let alone receive funding. Hope Horizons has been operational for 7 years now and based solely on community funding.

The Hope Horizons healthcare providers, referrers and our clients and community have all highlighted the necessity for additional services, which will lead to the implementation of a dedicated care coordinator and the adoption of the My Cancer Wellbeing Essentials Plan. This plan has been developed by researchers in cancer care and can be used at any time along the cancer trajectory. This tool is comprehensive, adaptable and user-friendly which will facilitate its use in our environment to enhance the lives of our clients. Approval for use of the My Cancer Wellbeing Essentials Plan has been granted. Work is under way to digitalise the program ready for use which includes use of a program to collect data.

Proposed research questions

What is the impact of the implementation of the Wellbeing Program on service provision and client satisfaction at Hope Horizons?

We hope to gain meaningful insights into the program through appropriate data collection, which will measure the success of the program from perspective of the client, service provider and organisation. This will inform the decision to invest in this model on a long term, permanent basis.

We believe an impact evaluation will provide the information we need to make that determination. An impact evaluation will also provide us with valuable data that will be used to campaign for funding from local, state and national governments.

Objectives of the research

Our plan is to establish a Wellbeing Program for the benefit of all of our clients. The program will be run by Hope Horizons and involves a comprehensive assessment and care plan developed for all of our clients. The key factors in the development of this program are the role of a Care Coordinator - an experienced oncology nurse and the implementation of the My Cancer Wellbeing Essentials Plan (example can be provided as part of the EOI). The role of the nurse is to perform assessments on our clients using the Wellbeing Assessment on referral to Hope Horizons, then on a monthly or 3 monthly basis dependent on client need. The results from the Wellbeing Assessment will inform the services and care to be provided to the client, thereby enabling timely and relevant provision of services.

A key component of the Wellbeing Plan is to provide resources and education to clients which is aimed to increase their autonomy and resilience in managing their own health and wellbeing whilst being supported by Hope Horizons.

Hope Horizons is a charity and community funded organisation. We are governed by a management committee and have 4 employees. Our workforce is mostly volunteers. Our service providers are credentialled health professionals offering their services to our clients yet for which Hope Horizons covers the cost. We are attempting to implement a cost effective program that can be managed with limited resources yet still meets the needs of our clients and service providers.

Our objectives:

Specifically tailor and promote wellness programs for all clients of Hope Horizons using the My Cancer Essentials Wellbeing Plan. This will included specialised programs for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander patients utilising the resources within the community for example, ACCHOs. Examples, making connections for patients to access the Tackling Smoking and Healthy Lifestyle Team.

Promote client wellness in helping patients to manage acute and late side effects of treatments but also to address their physical, social and psychosocial issues in a supportive environment. This will also include providing clients resources and education as well as providing services.

Improve communication between all client care provides including the treating facility, Primary Care Providers, allied health regarding treatment, outcomes and ongoing considerations and care captured by the My Wellbeing Plan.

Streamline the use of services at HH to ensure appropriateness of referrals to our therapists and reduce waiting lists for care provision.

Gain valuable data that can be used by Hope Horizons to advocate for funding to local, state and federal governments if it is a viable program. This data would be focusing on whether we are having a positive impact on health outcomes for our clients and providing a cost effective model of care.

Anticipated outcomes and outputs

By the end of the project we hope to have enough data to inform the decision to invest in the program on a long term basis. We hope this data is meaningful enough that funders will understand the need for this in our community for people with cancer and their families. We wish to have a comprehensive report that can used for this purpose.

Our blue sky vision is to have a cost effective program that can be modelled in similar cancer wellbeing centres across Australia. There is a push to have Integrative Oncology and Wellness Centres recognised by government so that there is a safe and national strategy adopted by centres such as Hope Horizons. A key priority for this action is to develop equitable sustainable care models to ensure the cost effective delivery of evidence based therapies are within a supportive cancer care model. If we can demonstrate success with this model, we will have a strong campaign. We are very keen to collaborate with universities and researchers as we believe that we are a rich source of data in key areas of integrative cancer care and rural. We would love to be able to present this at conferences and publish.

The output for client care is also key with this program. At the moment, all of our clients have access to our services for unlimited use. This is not sustainable and we are rapidly growing. Implementing this program will ensure access to our services are equitable and timely, enabling us to help more people. This is why, education and building autonomy for our clients to manage their own health is going to be an important component of the program. Therefore, we hope to have developed a suite of resources that can be given to clients both in paper and digital format that will assist them to achieve this. These resources will form a part of our client portal embedded in our website.

How many people do you anticipate the research will benefit?

The benefit of the program will be largely felt for our clients of which we currently receive 685 referrals per year. This data is current - we have received 685 referrals from March 2024 to March 2025.

Yet we believe that the entire Hope Horizons community will benefit from success with this program. Our community is made up of 4 employees, 150 volunteers, 25 service providers and 9 volunteer management committee.

Organisation's anticipated timeframe

We wish to commence the project by 1st July at the latest.

Year 1

3 months:
Position Description and policy developed for Care Coordinator role
Advertising
Appointment
Training and implementation of Wellbeing Plan
Implementation of digital program to capture data for evaluation

6 months:
Initial review of client outcomes and satisfaction
Ongoing client assessments and admission to program

12months:
Review of program including evaluation of data; client and service provider satisfaction and outcomes
Ongoing client assessments and admission to program

Existing data

We use an existing program call Power Diary. We implemented this program to our service in 2017. The data we have been collecting since then has been demographic information and occasions of service.

We have also surveyed our clients and service providers on annual to bi-annual basis to evaluate satisfaction and identify quality improvement activity. Which is where the need for a care coordinator has surfaced.

Involvement of minors

No.

Organisation's project lead, expertise and their desired support from ACU

Program Lead: Rachael Carter is our General Manager and brings a unique blend of clinical expertise as a RN and proven skills in organisational management, leadership, and fundraising. This combination ensures that our programs are both clinically sound and operationally efficient. Under her leadership, we have implemented process improvements, enhanced service delivery, and secured substantial funding to support our initiatives.

Our management committee further strengthens our organisational capacity. Comprising professionals with expertise in medicine, oncology, law, accounting, marketing, leadership, and cancer care, they provide strategic oversight and ensure robust governance. The diverse skill set within the board ensures that we approach challenges from multiple perspectives, fostering innovative solutions and strategic growth.

In terms of governance, we adhere to best practices in financial management, risk assessment, and program evaluation. Our internal systems and procedures ensure accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Skills or expertise Hope Horizons is seeking assistance with from ACU:

We have a team of people keen and ready to research this program but we are time limited and at best, early career researchers. We would benefit from guidance and support as we initiate this program. We believe the heavy work would be at the start as we set it up and then towards the end when we write up the report.

In-kind contributions from the organisation

The HH Medical Advisory Committee has all members interested in supporting the research of the program. Our members include 1 medical oncologist, 2 oncology nurses (1 who is academic at ACU), Rachael Carter the GM and 1 pharmacist. We committed to cultural safety in our service delivery. Whilst we are not only aiming to provide services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, we will ensure that the Care Coordinator and all staff receive training in cultural competence, particularly in understanding the unique needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. We will also work closely with local Indigenous organisations such as Carbal Medical Services and Goolburri Medical to ensure services are culturally appropriate and responsive.

The In-Kind contributions we can commit to are:

The collation of existing service data from within Power Diary
The development and use of the Wellbeing Plan in the Power Diary
Administrative support - this will be part of usual business
Provision of facilities if needed for interviews
Provision of facilities and resources for education materials
Assistance with writing and/or reviewing the final project outputs

Recommendations from the SESU Advisory Group

Use of existing program data is requested. This will need discussion with ACU's Ethics Secretariat, who will consider the consent that was collected at the time to ensure there is no risk of a data breach.

If the project involves First Nations communities, the project may be classed as 'higher risk' from a research ethics perspective.

Proposed research project title

Caring for the disenfranchised and vulnerable in inner city Sydney: An evaluation of the Brown Nurses Model of Care

Description of lead organisation

Founded as Our Lady's Nurses of the Poor by Eileen O'Connor and Father Edward McGrath in 1913, the Brown Nurses is one of Australia's oldest continuously running not-for-profit, community nursing services. Brown Nurses has a long tradition of working with and supporting vulnerable populations to preferentially care for:

1. Those that are at risk of homelessness;
2. Those with mental health conditions;
3. Those with drug and alcohol addiction;
4. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people;
5. Those with a history of incarceration.

Comprising some of the most vulnerable communities in Sydney, our clients present with complex health and support needs and our service makes a significant contribution to the wellbeing and health outcomes through person centred care, advocacy and psychosocial support.

We work in partnership with our clients to collaboratively achieve their healthcare goals. Many of our clients have slipped through healthcare gaps, ineligible for mainstream health services due to missing identification, credentials and/or an inability to connect due to isolation and vulnerabilities. Our clients require comprehensive nursing assessment, care planning and coordination to access, or reconnect with, those mainstream health services and prevent deterioration and unplanned hospital admissions. As a catholic health care provider, we work to deliver and enliven our mission to ensure our client's dignity and self-worth and provide hope, compassion and equitable access to care.

Existing relationship with ACU

The Brown Nurses has a collaborative partnership with ACU. In honour of the work of the Brown Nurses and ACU's relationship with them, in 2022 ACU Senate approved the naming of a Research Chair in Nursing - the Eileen O'Connor Chair of Mental Health Research. The CEO and Director of Nursing of the Brown Nurses has an honorary appointment as a Clinical Associate Professor with ACU and the Education and Workforce Manager is an Honorary Clinical Fellow with the University. Both sit on the ACU NSW Nursing External Consultancy Committee. We have a student placement agreement in progress to allow the Brown Nurses to take ACU Nursing students for clinical nursing placements in a Primary Health and Community based setting. We are also co-authoring papers with ACU staff for publication on the history of the Brown Nurses.

Context of the research project

Brown Nurses is a unique nursing organisation providing community-based care to disadvantaged and marginalised people in inner city Sydney. Our clients have fallen through the cracks of the mainstream health system and have no one left to turn to. They are extremely vulnerable and struggle with everyday challenges which significantly impact their health, mental health and wellbeing. Most have multiple complex co-morbidities, disabilities, low literacy levels, experience of incarceration and addiction, and have living conditions that leave them open to predation, manipulation, squalor and a risk of homelessness. Many are aging without support. Our service is not bound by any occasions of care restrictions, which allows our nurses more time to practice holistic care and partner with clients to achieve their health goals, improve their wellbeing and self-worth, and their connection with community.

In 2024, we introduced a new model of nursing care. The aim was to ensure a contemporary approach to holistic care and to align the service to current primary and community health care standards and professional nursing frameworks. The model of care has not been evaluated.

The Brown Nurses Model of Care provides a framework for:

• Promoting best practice standards for the provision of holistic person-centred, specialist nursing and care coordination;
• Directing clinical practice and the development of clinical governance procedures, protocols, referral pathways and education programs relating to person-centred care provided by the service;
• Effective partnerships to improve health outcomes for clients, ensure access to appropriate healthcare services, prevent unplanned hospital admissions, strengthen support networks, and assist clients to maintain their tenancies, health, and wellbeing.
• The provision of high-quality healthcare in accordance with the Brown Nurses mission and values and a commitment to continue to deliver compassionate person-centred care to those in need.

Proposed research questions

Our project aims to understand how we can optimise our clients experience of care, their personal wellbeing, engagement and connection with community through the following three questions:

1. How do clients experience the model of care at the Brown Nurses?
2. What benefits (if any) do clients experience from their referral to the Brown Nurses and what activities/resources support realisation of these benefits?
3. What desired outcomes do the health professionals delivering care attribute to client engagement with the model of care and which elements of the model of care are identified as producing these changes?

Objectives of the research

Our overall aim is to evaluate the Brown Nurses new model of care to understand how we can improve clients' health and wellbeing. The evaluation will encompass assessment of the processes and procedures within the model and their implementation, as well as the results of the nursing interventions, in terms of outcomes and impact. This is to help explain the relationship between what was done and what has been achieved as a result of the new model of care.

Specific objectives include:

• To understand how clients experience our person-centred care and the different elements of service delivery.
• To evaluate if the service assists clients to meet or work towards their agreed healthcare goals.
• To evaluate how the model impacts clients':
  • Health and wellbeing outcomes
  • Access to appropriate healthcare services
  • Unplanned hospital admissions
  • Access and utilisation of support networks
  • Maintenance of tenancies
• To identify staff perspectives on the model of care and service delivery

The Brown Nurses model of care consists of 11 elements:

• Patient Referral
• Risk Screening and Assessment
• Best Practice Comprehensive Care
• Medication Safety
• Care Coordination and Discharge Planning
• Communicating for safety and clinical documentation
• Patient communication and education
• Resources
• Clinical Role Requirements
• Education and Training
• Governance

To meet our aim and objectives we will use a mixed methods evaluation. The evaluation will include:

1. The collection of client demographic information; collection of organisational data relating to elements of the model of care;
2. A quantitative cross-sectional survey on service delivery- Staff (Nurses)
3. A quantitative cross-sectional survey on service delivery - Client
4. Semi-structured interviews with two cohorts - clients and nurses (information will be gathered from one point in time, across participants within these two cohorts).

The quantitative phase will involve an examination of data collected using validated instruments that assess person-centred practice. The qualitative phase will consist of semi-structured interviews with both clients and nurses. Interview participants will be purposively selected in the client group to ensure that there is informed consent to participate, and psychological safety is ensured. The interview data will then be analysed thematically. Quantitative and qualitative data will be integrated in the final phase to produce a comprehensive evaluation report.

Anticipated outcomes and outputs

To produce a research report on the Brown Nurses' person-centred model of care and evaluation of service delivery that can be disseminated and shared with other nurse-led community or primary health care services working with vulnerable populations. Services providing care for the following populations will be interested in the outcomes: risk of homelessness; squalor; isolation/vulnerability; poverty; frailty; mental health; chronic and complex health care needs; addiction; cognitive decline; and lack of government support.

The information and knowledge will be disseminated through publications in high quality journals so others that work with similar client cohorts can benefit from the research.

The evaluation will also provide an evidence base for the elements of the model, our interventions, and provide understanding of client experiences - to enhance and improve client health and wellbeing outcomes and service delivery and to understand if any revisions of the model need to be made. This will assist us to build:

• Evidence that can support our person-centred approach to care and an opportunity to explore assumptions made in regard to client experience and their engagement with, and access to, other healthcare providers (personal wellbeing).
• Evidence that interventions within the model of care assist clients to meet their agreed healthcare goals and improve wellbeing and perceptions of support (goal attainment).
• An evidence-base of contemporary nursing practice that supports sustainability of the service into the future- ensuring the legacy of the Eileen O'Connor & Our Lady's Nurses for the Poor (service standards).

Our collaboration with ACU will allow us to enliven the mission of both our organisations and enhance the sustainability of Eileen O'Connor's (Servant of God) legacy by creating nursing evidence that supports the contemporary approach to the evolution of the Brown Nurse Model of Care and a commitment to the mission and values of both organisations.

How many people do you anticipate the research will benefit?

Brown Nurses comprehensively care for approximately 120 clients per year. The evaluation will benefit current and future clients over time through implementation of the recommendations. Data will give the organisation the opportunity to do further practice improvement and change which include enhancements or revisions based on feedback from both clients and staff. The findings will be more widely disseminated through other national nursing and primary health care networks and internationally to help inform care provision in similar contexts to benefit many other clients.

Organisation's anticipated timeframe

It is envisioned that the project will take approximately 18 months to complete. For the evaluation to occur, funding is needed.

To address the research aim and objectives, a mixed methods evaluation will be used.

As per above, there will be multiple phases of data collection and analysis:

• Administrative data will be collected to build understanding of the client base, elements of the model of care and the context of the evaluation.
• The quantitative phase will involve data collected using validated instruments (Person-centred practice inventories) and data from the organisation, and reported using descriptive statistics.
• The qualitative phase will consist of semi-structured interviews with both clients and nurses. The interview participants will be purposively selected in the client group to ensure that there is informed consent to participate, and psychological safety is ensured. The interview data will then be analysed thematically.

All data will be integrated to form a comprehensive evaluation report.

Existing data

The organisation has been collecting the same data since the new model was implemented in January 2024. Prior to this data collection was limited to a few measures only. The service now collects data on client numbers, client demographics, client referral and referrers, reasons for referral, occasions of service, and care-coordination activities. This data is currently used for reporting purposes and for workforce and service planning.

Clients consent to collection and use of this data on admission to the service, however specific informed consent would need to be obtained for any organisational data to be utilised as part of this research, particularly as our clients are vulnerable.

An ethics submission is currently being progressed by the project leads.

Involvement of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people

Seven percent of our current client group identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Brown Nurses has a long tradition of working with and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Brown Nurses work with community-based services such as South-East Aboriginal Health Care (SEAHC), Aboriginal Chronic Care - Sydney Local Health District (SLHD), Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service and St Vincent's Health Network to ensure coordination of culturally sensitive and appropriate care for our aboriginal clients.

The Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) partners with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nursing and midwifery allies, organisations and communities to achieve common goals and address any shared challenges in providing healthcare. The CEO and Director of Nursing at the Brown Nurse is an ally member of CATSINaM and works with the wider nursing team to ensure Brown Nurse practice is contemporary, culturally safe and aligned to achieve optimal health outcomes and psychosocial support for our clients.

Involvement of minors

No.

Organisation's project lead, expertise and their desired support from ACU

1. The Brown Nurses' registered nurses come from a range of clinical backgrounds with a breadth of relevant clinical, education and research experience. Brown Nurses CEO & Director of Nursing Dr Elisabeth Black has been involved in multidisciplinary and nursing research and education for many years in previous leadership roles in the public health system. She has led practice improvement initiatives, multiple quality improvement projects and change management initiatives - particularly involving models of nursing care in a range of clinical settings. In 2024 she graduated with a Doctor of Health from the University of Tasmania.
   
   Simon Byerley will be a lead researcher for the Brown Nurses providing expertise on the context of practice, client cohort, model of care and nursing workforce. He has extensive experience in nursing leadership, management and education

2. Elisabeth Black will be the Brown Nurses project lead.

It would be beneficial to draw on the expertise of ACU researchers with the:

• Development of a quantitative survey for clients including demographic and service questions and the Person-Centred Practice framework (Person-centred Practice Inventory - Carer)
• Development of a quantitative survey for staff including demographic and service questions and the Person-Centred Practice framework (Person-centred Practice Inventory - Staff)
• Analysis of data from the quantitative survey
• Identification and collection of service data (process and outcomes)
• Qualitative survey design (when working with very vulnerable client cohorts)
• Thematic analysis
• Interpretation and management of data integration to merge the quantitative and qualitative results

In-kind contributions from the organisation

The Brown Nurses has agreed for Brown Nurse CEO and Director of Nursing to be the Project lead and have allocated time for the research evaluation. They have also agreed to Nurse Manager Simon Byerley being released 1 day per fortnight to undertake work related to the study. Together this would equate to approximately $35,600 per year in-kind support of the study.

The Brown Nurse Clinical Nurse Consultant would also contribute to the research through collation of some of the quantitative organisational data on a monthly basis.

An application has been made to Our Lady's Nurses for the Poor to gain additional funding for a project officer to assist with various aspects of the evaluation over an 18-month period. The role would be funded for 1 day per week. This would approximate to $26,366 per year of the study. Funding has not been secured and is not guaranteed.

Recommendations from the SESU Advisory Group

If the project involves First Nations communities, the project may be classed as 'higher risk' from a research ethics perspective.

Analysis of existing program data is requested. This will need discussion with ACU's Ethics Secretariat, who will consider the consent that was collected at the time to ensure there is no risk of a data breach.