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What we do

 

Impact: Knowledge into practice, practice into knowledge

The information that ACYS provides isn’t worth much if it doesn’t get used. And likewise, if we don’t have an understanding of how our information is used, we won’t be able to meet the changing and evolving needs of the youth sector.

While these insights are useful to us, they may also be useful to others who are looking for new ways to inform their work practices.

We want to find out and share how the youth sector has used our resources and information to deliver better services, develop stronger policy, and conduct more robust research.

Photo of people at desk laughing

Outcomes framework

ACYS has developed its outcomes framework to articulate how we seek to support the youth sector, describe the differences we want to make and gauge our impacts.

Our aim

To contribute to the development of engaged and resilient young people in Australia by assisting those working with or for young people to make informed decisions about policy, practice and programs.

Our outcomes

  • Evidence-informed and proactive policymaking, practice and programs
  • Informed and relevant applied research and choice of research topics that enhance policy, practice and programs
  • A connected youth sector, with breadth and depth of thinking
  • Improved organisational efficiency and quality practice and programs

How we keep the sector informed

Provide practical analysis resources on good practice

  • briefings and snapshots on emerging issues for young people and key messages in developing good policy and practice, through Face the Facts and other reports
  • case studies of good practice in working with and for young people
  • webinars and podcasts exploring issues from a number of perspectives, including those of young people and those who work with and for young people.
  • expert reviews from academics, practitioners and policymakers

Present youth sector news and events round-ups

Deliver information and helpdesk services

  • enquiry services
  • online library of information, contacts and resources
  • data analysis
  • Youth Studies Australia journal archive

Offer organisational services

  • editing and proofreading
  • graphic design
  • book and report publishing

How you inform us

We aim to regularly consult with you to ensure that our services are meeting your needs, are of high quality and are making positive differences to the work you’re doing.

We do this in a number of ways, including:

  • ACYS annual stakeholder survey
  • Asking for feedback from enquiries
  • Seeking peer review of our products and services
  • Offering for you to feedback your thoughts to us at any time

What you’ve told us about what we do

How well we deliver services

Evidence-informed and proactive policymaking, practice and programs

ACYS provides quick access to the resources and contacts needed to work efficiently. To answer a recent help desk request for information on setting up film competitions for young people, information was gathered from past examples and current practices for engaging young people. “This list is very much appreciated! I will definitely be busy and will need to update my skills.”  Department of Education and Training, NSW

Informed and relevant applied research and choice of research topics that enhance policy, practice and programs

ACYS provides a platform to help researchers connect with practice and inform their work.

"Thank you for your assistance in the recruitment for the drug media study. We ended up recruiting almost 2,300 young Australians aged 16-24 and could not have done that without your help."
Dr Caitlin Hughes, Research Fellow, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre

A connected youth sector, with breadth and depth of thinking

Useful information comes from a variety of sources. ACYS is able to draw on its knowledge of academic, research, practice, policy resources available to provide comprehensive information packages.

"Thanks ACYS, that’s a great list of resources. I had not come across a couple of those so I will follow them up. Youth Subcultures in Australia sounds interesting, I really look forward to reading it when it is published. I will check out the webinar as that is certainly a strong theme within and between the literature!"
Research assistant with the Children’s Commissioner, Tasmania
Improved organisational efficiency and quality practice and programs

We help those who provide support to youth workers. For a recent query for evidence on the effect of youth workers on young people’s wellbeing, ACYS collected the latest information available on best practice and effective implementation of programs.

"Thank you for chatting with me this morning, and for sending through this info - from a very quick look at a few of the resources I can already tell these are going to be very useful."
Policy Officer, Youth Coalition of the ACT


The impacts we have made

Those of you who completed our recent ACYS stakeholders’ survey helped us understand and measure whether our products and services are delivering what you need and whether they are helping make the impacts within your work we would like them to.  

It’s been great to hear about some of the impacts you identified that we have helped to make within the youth sector. We wanted to share some of those with you:

Impacts you said with have within youth-related policy development

48% of stakeholders who responded to our 2014 stakeholder survey said they have used ACYS products and services to help inform their youth-related policy (mainly through Youth Field Xpress, Youth Studies Australia, ACYS books and Face the Facts). Of those, 95% said that the resources were useful or very useful.

Examples of the impacts you told us we’ve helped to make:

  • Research and theoretical frameworks published in Youth Studies Australia have regularly informed the development of policy in a range of contexts. These have included organisational policy, collaborative projects and local government youth strategies.

  • Because of its historical base, ACYS products cover a long period of policy development, and often these products were the ONLY sources of information on youth-related policy. Your archives have youth policy documents in hard copy which the federal government themselves had not seen, for instance, at a time when government was developing a new youth policy, ACYS was able to give him information their own library did not have.
Impacts you said we’ve had on youth-related research

56% of stakeholders who responded to our 2014 stakeholder survey said they had used ACYS products and services to help inform youth-related research (mainly through Youth Field Xpress, Youth Studies Australia, ACYS books and Face the Facts ).  Of these, 95% said that the products were useful or very useful for this purpose.

Example of the impacts you told us we’ve helped to make:

  • My research involves tracing the impact of federal youth policy upon individuals' lives with respect to the provision/lack of services. ACYS products help me to conduct this research because ACYS covers both research and service-related matters irrespective of the "silos" the information comes from.
Impacts you said we’ve had on youth-related practice and programs

38% of stakeholders who responded to our 2014 stakeholder survey said they had used ACYS products and services to inform their youth-related practice or programs (mainly through Youth Field Xpress, Youth Studies Australia, sector resources, ACYS books and website news feed). Of those, all said the resource were useful or very useful.

Examples of the impacts you told us we’ve helped to make:

  • We opened a Drop In Space and used information from ACYS to ensure best practice and that policies were developed that would meet the needs of the organisation and also young people.
  • These products helped provide insight on developing good practice in a number of areas as a youth work student and beginning practitioner, and informed development of programs such as a mentoring program for young people of refugee background which I assisted with developing.

We want to know more

How has ACYS helped you provide positive outcomes for young Australians?

Have you used information you’ve found through ACYS in your work?

Or maybe we help keep you up-to-date with the latest youth issues?

We’d love to share your insights with others. Go here to tell us more

 

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ACYS is based within the UTAS Faculty of Education at the Sandy Bay campus, Hobart.