The National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse was launched in 2021 in response to the widespread extent and impact of child sexual abuse revealed by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Australian Government developed the National Strategy in partnership with state and territory governments. The National Strategy is being implemented through action plans. 

This report describes the findings of an independent implementation (process) evaluation of the National Strategy’s first action plans. The evaluation aims to assess the extent to which the first action plans: 

• have been effective (i.e. have made adequate progress against their intended outcomes) and are efficient
• are aligned with the National Strategy values
• are aligned with and support progress towards the National Strategy’s outcomes and objectives 
• have embedded evaluation and continuous improvement mechanisms within the design, development and implementation of activities.

The evaluation included a desktop review, online surveys, semi-structured interviews, a focus group and the development of eight case studies. The evaluation makes findings in relation to the design, efficiency and effectiveness of the first action plans and describes eight lessons learned. It also makes five recommendations to improve the design and implementation of the next action plan.