RESTORE Intensive Family Services Evaluation: Final Report

The RESTORE Intensive Family Services program is a six-month program designed to support families identified as at high-risk of child removal by offering a personalised, trauma-responsive therapeutic approach. The program is explicitly designed to provide wraparound support in conjunction with therapeutic interventions, delivered by a multidisciplinary team of specialist practitioners.

Central to the program is the Stabilising Trauma in Everyday Practice (STEP) therapeutic framework. The framework is described in detail in the body of this report however, put simply, it is a process of working with parents to support them to identify and process trauma, develop cooperative relationships and a sense of self and agency, and to increase their attachment to and safely care for their child(ren). The STEP therapeutic framework guides practice across multidisciplinary teams which provide opportunities for therapeutic intervention with families in the context of their everyday lives.

This report outlines the results of an independent evaluation of the RESTORE Intensive Family Services program. The evaluation was conducted from September 2023 to June 2024, utilising a mixed methods approach to answer the following research questions:
1. Is the design and delivery of the RESTORE Intensive Family Services program effective and appropriate?
2. To what extent does the RESTORE Intensive Family Services program achieve the intended outcomes (i.e. improved family safety and wellbeing, increased capability to achieve potential, enhanced access to community supports and enhanced connection to culture)?