NHH Tasmania Outcomes Framework

Glossary of terms

Community Development, Program and Practice Terms

Term / Definition
Partner organisations / Any public, private or community sector entity that is actively involved with the NHH in order to support the achievement of the NHH goals under the NHH Strategic Framework 2013-2018, or to achieve the aims of an identified priority area is a partner.
People/person / Community members (or a person) who participate in any activity or access a program or service that NHH is involved in. This includes:
  • People who come to the House on an informal basis, also referred to as “walk-ins, drop-ins, …….”
  • People who participate in a group session, either at the House or at another venue
  • People who come to the house by appointment
Also referred to as participants, customers, consumers, clients, service users.
Target Group / The population group(s) specified in the program or service ‘purpose’:
families with children, youth, and individuals in Tasmania who are vulnerable or at risk or experiencing a life changing event or personal emergency, or financial disadvantage.
The population of potential participants in a program or service.
Priority / Priority Area / An issue that is of concern locally and has been identified through consultation as an important area that community members want to make focus on.
Priority Group / A group defined by locality or identity (or both) who are the primary group (within the broader target group) for whom a program may be run(e.g. Aboriginal people, migrants, residents of Geeveston, people from CALD communities in Tasmania’s South).
An identified subgroup of the target group who are the primary group for whom the program or service has been created.
Volunteer / A person who works and/or gives their time to assist in activities that aim to achieve the NHH goals under the NHH Strategic Framework 2013-2018, or to achieve the aims of an identified priority area in an unpaid capacity is a volunteer.
Snapshot Census / Houses will conduct a snapshot count of attendances for a minimum of 2 separate weeks each year with each week being in a different quarter. Houses will aim to undertake a count for 4 weeks each year, dependent upon resources. The weekly counts will be averaged for reporting an average weekly number to DCS.
Houses using a counting process that meets the data definitions and counting rules will provide an average weekly count over the year of operation.
The methodology applied (snapshot week or whole of year average) will be disclosed to DCS.
A consistent reporting template will be used to report the annual response to DCS. Data capture templates and methodologies are available through NHT.
Community Activities / Community activities are defined as
  • active involvement in a social or community group or taking part in an activity they organised;
  • active involvement in a civic or political group, such as a political party, environmental or civic rights group;
  • involvement in a sport or recreational activity as a coach, official, umpire or administrator;
  • involvement in a sporting or recreational group or activity as a player/participant or spectator; and/or formal or informal volunteering.

Engagement / Contact with A House or Project by way of being informed about or participating in an activity associated with the House or Project (less formal
Supported / Accessing an activity or action under the auspices of a House or Project intended to achieve outcomes for the person, family or group. E.g 1:1 support, participation in a group session (more formal)
Consultation / Consultation activities are any activity that seeks to determine the needs and priorities of a community, through seeking information from a group, individual or external source (eg a data set). Consultation activities can be planned and formal, or spontaneous and informal.

RBA Terms

Term / Definition
RBA / A planning, monitoring, reporting and continuous improvement tool. It is a structured approach to thinking and taking action that starts with defining the desired outcome and working backwards to the means of getting there.
Community Outcomes / The three key community state government priorities to which the NHH program will make a contribution:
  1. - Individuals reach their potential
  2. Families are strong and supportive
  3. Communities are safe, inclusive and resilient

Performance Accountability / A continuous improvement framework for measuring the performance of a program, agency or service.
Outcomes / What will be achieved through the program or service
Performance Measures / Measures of how well a program or service is working. There are 3 questions that need to be answered: How much did we do? How well did we do it? And is anyone better off?
Outcome-specific Performance Measures / A suite of set ‘Better Off’ performance measures linked to a particular Outcome Cluster. Houses must select one or more performance measures from this suite.
Target / A specific level of achievement that you hope to achieve for an indicator or outcome. Targets are the quantifiable goals you hope to achieve.
Additional Performance Measures / Unique performance measures specifically created for a particular program or service, negotiated with DCS,and linked to an Outcome Cluster.
Core Performance Measures / The compulsory ‘How Much’ and ‘How Well’ measures which must be reported on by all Houses.
Data Development Agenda / An agenda or list that records new data/information required to monitor how you are tracking on particular performance measures.
Stakeholder / Anyone with a role to play in achieving the desired outcome. May include individuals, organisations or government.
Action Plan / A description of the actions that will be undertaken to achieve program or service outcomes.
Baseline / The data that enable a comparison between points of time about the achievement of a program. Can be a visual representation (graphic) which demonstrates past and current results related to a performance measure. Baselines allow service providers to identify likely outcomes for their client group if the program was not in place and monitors performance and achievements of outcomes.
Story behind the baseline / A detailed explanation and analysis of the graphics that present the results of performance measures.
RBA Report / A succinct way of reporting program or service progress.
Activity / Actions that are undertaken within a strategy to achieve objectives.
Can be a group, one-off, on-going, episodic activity that is countable.
Strategy / A course of action, a set of activities designed to achieve the outcomes sought. States “what will be done”.