Respect Ballarat’s vision is a Ballarat in which everyone is safe, respected and free from violence. A theory of change for the model maps out how we’ll build towards this vision over time, with a focus on safe and respectful intimate partner relationships.
We have worked with the Ballarat community to identify key behaviours that will enable the change we are seeking. In the first four years of the model, we’ll know whether we’re on track to building those behaviours by measuring the following areas of change:
- Increased knowledge and understanding of gendered violence and its causes.
- Positive changes in attitudes that promote equality and reduce gendered violence.
- Increased skills and confidence to take action that reduces gendered violence.
- Positive changes in personal behaviour that focus on promoting equality and respect.
- Positive changes in the way a person acts in relation to others’ behaviours, that promotes equality and respect.
- Positive changes to organisational policies, structures and culture that promote equality and reduce gendered violence.
- Positive shifts in social and institutional policies, regulation, and cultures that promote equality and reduce gendered violence.
- Improvements in prevention infrastructure, resources and ways of working.
These areas of change are mapped as more detailed outcomes in the Respect Ballarat Theory of Change. The theory of change was developed based on consultation with stakeholders and co-designers, academic and practice evidence. It will be reviewed annually in collaboration with local partners. Download the Respect Ballarat Theory of Change:
How will we measure and evaluate progress against these areas for change?
Respect Victoria will undertake and support a range of monitoring, measurement and learning approaches throughout the life of Respect Ballarat, including:
- ongoing monitoring of outcomes and indicators in the Theory of Change
- an outcomes evaluation capturing what is changing over time in Ballarat, why change is happening and to what degree, including what is enabling change and what are barriers to change
- a process evaluation to assess efficiency, implementation approaches, and the ways that different partnerships, programs and systems working across Respect Ballarat interact
- developmental evaluation drawing on monitoring data and stakeholder expertise to build continuous improvements into the model and share learning with the community.
How will we support organisations to monitor and evaluate their work against these areas for change?
Respect Victoria supports organisations to undertake monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) of their Respect Ballarat work. Whether organisations are already undertaking prevention MEL, or are new to the journey, they will be supported to build their own frameworks and plans to align with and contribute to Respect Ballarat outcomes.
Support for organisations includes:
- provision of tools and templates for data collection
- alignment of project outcomes to Respect Ballarat
- workshops to build MEL capacity and capability
- a community of practice to share, learn, ask questions, and collaborate to improve practice.
What research is being undertaken to support and learn from the model?
Respect Ballarat is the first approach of its kind in the country. To support the model to achieve its outcomes, and to build knowledge for place-based prevention models elsewhere, we’ll undertake research alongside local organisations and communities to:
- understand why intimate partner violence occurs in Ballarat, and local expressions of the gendered drivers
- identify opportunities to challenge those drivers, including local levers for change
- understand the specific social norms driving violence at different life stages (e.g. from adolescence, to romantic relationships, becoming a parent, retirement etc.), and how they might be changed.
Together, that research will build knowledge of what works to prevent gendered violence locally in Ballarat, and what can be adapted and tailored to other places.
What are social norms?
Social norms, or ‘norms,’ are the informal and unwritten ‘rules’ of how our society operates. In the context of Respect Ballarat, they refer to how we expect people to behave, express themselves, appear and interact with others, according to their gender. For example, the idea than men are ‘breadwinners,’ don’t show fear or sadness, and are always in control.
Norms influence our attitudes and behaviours, and reinforce the way our communities, systems and structures operate. For example, sports clubs that encourage a culture of 'locker room banter’ and aggression in men’s sport.