Delivering an empowerment intervention to a remote Indigenous child safety workforce: its economic cost from an agency perspective

Kinchin, Irina, Doran, Christopher M., McCalman, Janya, Jacups, Susan, Tsey, Komla, Lines, Katrina, Smith, Kieran, and Searles, Andrew (2017) Delivering an empowerment intervention to a remote Indigenous child safety workforce: its economic cost from an agency perspective. Evaluation and Program Planning, 64. pp. 85-89.

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Abstract

Background: The Family Wellbeing (FWB) program applies culturally appropriate community led empowerment training to enhance the personal development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in life skills. This study sought to estimate the economic cost required to deliver the FWB program to a child safety workforce in remote Australian communities.

Method: This study was designed as a retrospective cost description taken from the perspective of a non-government child safety agency. The target population were child protection residential care workers aged 24 or older, who worked in safe houses in five remote Indigenous communities and a regional office during the study year (2013). Resource utilization included direct costs (personnel and administrative) and indirect or opportunity costs of participants, regarded as absence from work.

Results: The total cost of delivering the FWB program for 66 participants was $182,588 ($2766 per participant), with 45% ($82,995) of costs classified as indirect (i.e., opportunity cost of participants time). Training cost could be further mitigated (∼30%) if offered on-site, in the community. The costs for offering the FWB program to a remotely located workforce were high, but not substantial when compared to the recruitment cost required to substitute a worker in remote settings.

Conclusion: An investment of $2766 per participant created an opportunity to improve social and emotional wellbeing of remotely located workforce. This cost study provided policy relevant information by identifying the resources required to transfer the FWB program to other remote locations. It also can be used to support future comparative cost and outcome analyses and add to the evidence base around the cost-effectiveness of empowerment programs.

Item ID: 49096
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1873-7870
Keywords: program cost(s); cost(s) description; family wellbeing (FWB) program; remote workforce training; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Date Deposited: 27 Jun 2017 04:30
FoR Codes: 45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4504 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing > 450403 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child health and wellbeing @ 60%
38 ECONOMICS > 3801 Applied economics > 380108 Health economics @ 40%
SEO Codes: 92 HEALTH > 9203 Indigenous Health > 920303 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health - Health System Performance (incl. Effectiveness of Interventions) @ 100%
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