Connected Beginnings, established in 2016, is a place-based program working with community stakeholders to integrate and strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ access to early childhood education, maternal and child health, and family services to support children’s school readiness, with a focus on children aged 0-5 years. The mid-term evaluation was designed to provide insight to the backbone teams and health partners at the community level (site-level evaluation) and to analyse findings across sites at the policy and program level (referred to as the program-level evaluation). 

This report focuses on the program-level evaluation. The evaluation implemented a mixed methods approach using views of program-level stakeholders and site-level stakeholders, and a desktop review of documents including Community Action Plans, progress/performance reports, grant agreements, annual reports and program guidelines, in addition to qualitative data provided by the Department of Education and Department of Health and Aged Care. 

The evaluation identified a range of lessons for ongoing implementation of Connected Beginnings and for the broader ecosystem and provided eight recommendations for the program and its future roll out. 

Key findings 

• Overall, early educational and well-being outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are being supported.
• Emerging data suggests that Connected Beginnings is positively contributing to the four Priority Reforms under Closing the Gap.
• For every dollar invested into Connected Beginnings, potential positive outcomes and impact amounting to between $2.12 and $4.24 is likely returned.