AIFS Foundations for Collecting Evidence Course – course outline
About the course
‘Foundations for Collecting Evidence’ is an online course for organisations funded under DSS’ Families and Children Activity. It supports senior practitioners and program managers to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to:
- embed evidence into program planning, design and service delivery
- understand and respond to community needs
- explore how programs are ‘working’ to achieve desired outcomes
- plan for data collection and analysis.
The online course is designed to enhance skills through practical workshops and individualised support aimed at achieving key outputs and participant goals. Participants will progress through 4 modules using a blend of workshops, mentoring sessions and out-of-session work.
The course will run from February to May 2026.
Course schedule
Module 1: Needs and evidence
Workshop date/time: Tuesday 24 February, 2:00 to 4:00 pm AEDT (ACT, NSW, SA, Tas and Vic time)
Mentoring timeframe: Wednesday 25 February to Monday 16 March
Objectives
Develop skills and strategies to:
- identify and describe community needs and how those needs align with a program or service
- identify and utilise quality evidence about community needs
Topics covered
- Identify and describe community need: What is good quality evidence, where to find it and how to document it
- Applying evidence: Using data to help inform programs, services and community priorities
Module 1 output
- Summary of, or plan to identify, community needs.
Module 2: Program logic models – Part 1
Workshop date/time: Tuesday 17 March, 2:00 to 4:00 pm AEDT (ACT, NSW, SA, Tas and Vic time)
Mentoring timeframe: Wednesday 18 March to Monday 6 April
Objectives
- Gain knowledge and skills in developing program logic models for monitoring and evaluation
- Develop/refine program logic model (relevant to participant’s organisational setting)
- Improve understanding about how evidence informs program logic models
Topics covered
- Overview of program logic models: Purpose, benefits, limitations
- Key steps in developing a program logic model: Information needed for program logic components (needs statement, inputs and outputs), using different forms of evidence
Module 2 output
- Draft program logic model (relevant to participant’s organisational setting).
Module 3: Program logic models – Part 2
Workshop date/time: Wednesday 1 April, 2:00 to 4:00 pm AEDT (ACT, NSW, SA, Tas and Vic)
Mentoring timeframes: Thursday 2 to Tuesday 28 April
Objectives
- Learn how to identify core program activities
- Gain knowledge and skills in developing and applying program logic models
- Improve understanding about how research evidence informs key documents
Topics covered
- Program logic models in practice: using program logic for monitoring and evaluation
- Remaining steps in developing a program logic model: Information needed for identifying and describing program outcomes, underlying assumptions and external factors
- Viewing the program logic as a whole: Tips for checking logic and cohesiveness
Module 3 output
- Finalised program logic model (relevant to participant’s organisational setting).
Module 4: Approaches for collecting evidence
Workshop date/time: Wednesday 29 April, 2:00 to 4:00pm AEST
Mentoring timeframe: Thursday 30 April to Monday 11 May
Objectives
- Understand how to use program logic to identify data needs and sources to support monitoring and evaluation
- Understand and enhance skills in collecting evidence for different purposes
Topics covered
- Determining data needs: Establishing questions and priorities
- Data quality: Usefulness of existing information, quality considerations
- Collecting new evidence: Methods, tools and ethics
- Developing an evaluation and monitoring plan: Key considerations, elements of a plan
Module 4 output
- Action plan (relevant to participant’s organisational setting).
Please note: Topics are subject to minor changes closer to the course dates. Outputs are expected following the course and 1:1 mentoring sessions.
Who it is for
It is suitable for practitioners and program managers with limited knowledge and/or emerging skills about how to collect evidence and undertake program monitoring and evaluation activities. Participants must be working in programs funded by DSS’ Families and Children Activity.
Course participants should have an existing or planned project/program to workshop in the course. This will ensure course activities have real-world application for participants.
Participants are encouraged to seek support from their workplace to attend the course, and commit to the additional session work and mentoring sessions.
How to apply
If you are interested in participating in the Foundations for Collecting Evidence Course, please submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by 10 February 2026.
Successful applicants will be notified in the following week.
If you have any questions about the course or issues submitting an EOI, please email us.