Decisions to invest time, funding and other resources into limited-term projects are based on the expectation that these projects will leave some lasting legacy after funding ends. Sustainability, in this context, refers to the likelihood of achieving benefits from a time-limited intervention (project, program or policy) that are sustained after the intervention has formally ended.

This report explores what researchers have learned about producing sustainable change for families and young children, drawing on evidence from published research and the experiences of Communities for Children (CfC) projects funded under the Australian Government’s Stronger Families and Communities Strategy 2004-2009.