Developing a national Playgroup statement : Stakeholder consultation strategy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen McLean ◽  
Celine Chu ◽  
Julianna Mallia ◽  
Susan Edwards

In 2019 Playgroup Australia established a National Advisory Group, including representatives from government, not-for-profit, community and research sectors, to support the development of a National Playgroup Statement. The forthcoming statement is intended to provide a unifying voice for playgroup provision in practice, research and policy nationwide. Two core strategies were recommended by the National Advisory Group to support the development of the Playgroup Statement. These were: a) a literature review canvassing the existing evidence base of outcomes and benefits of playgroup participation for children and families; and b) a stakeholder consultation strategy to capture children’s and families’ experiences and perspectives of playgroup participation, and the impact of playgroup participation on their lives. This report details the findings from the stakeholder consultation strategy.

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1969-1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amr Kotb ◽  
Hany Elbardan ◽  
Hussein Halabi

PurposeThis paper reviews the field of internal auditing (IA) post-Enron to develop insights into how IA research has developed, offer a critique of the research to date and identify ways that future research can help to advance IA.Design/methodology/approachA structured literature review (SLR) was used to analyse 471 papers from 64 journals published between 2005 and 2018 based on a number of criteria, namely author, journal type, journal location, year, theme, theory, nature of research, research setting, regional focus, method and citations.FindingsThe IA literature has not significantly contributed to knowledge of the internal audit function (IAF), and one still knows relatively little about the factors that contribute to making the impact of IA practice effective and measurable. The IA literature is US-dominated (authors and journals), focussed on the American context (publicly listed companies), reliant on positivist analyses and largely makes no explicit reference to theory. Central regions (emerging economies) and key organisational settings (private SMEs and not-for-profit organisations) are largely absent in prior IA research. This paper evaluates and identifies avenues through which future research can help to advance IA in order to address emerging challenges in the field.Originality/valueThis is the first comprehensive review to analyse IA research in the post-Enron period (2005–2018). The findings are relevant to researchers who are looking for appropriate research outlets and emerging scholars who wish to identify their own research directions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Trimmer ◽  
Roselyn Dixon

In Australia and Europe, government agencies and not-for-profit organisations (NFPOs) have had long involvement in the funding and provision of community disability services. Significant change has occurred in Australia over the past two decades in the way government funds are expended, with marketplace mechanisms increasingly being used. As a consequence of economic and governance imperatives, funding of services via NFPOs has changed significantly with a move away from the provision of grants to the contracting of these organisations for the provision of services. In 2013, a new national policy, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), was introduced that has impacts for the provision of disability services for children and their families. In particular, Indigenous families are likely to experience barriers in accessing services. This paper reviews the impact of international changes in policy and associated funding models and considers the impacts and research implications of Australia's initial experience of implementation of the NDIS.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105566562110254
Author(s):  
Kenny Ardouin ◽  
Nicky Davis ◽  
Nicola Marie Stock

Background: The largest group of people living with repaired cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) are adults. Previous research has identified unmet treatment and psychosocial needs, yet few interventions exist. This article outlines 3 interventions developed by the Cleft Lip and Palate Association as part of its 3-year community-based Adult Services Programme; an Adults Conference, a series of panel discussions (“Cleft Talk”) streamed in podcast/video format, and a Leaver’s Pack of resources for adults wishing to return to cleft care. Methods: Feedback from attendees of the Adults Conferences (2018-2019) was collected using specifically developed evaluation forms. Streaming metrics and social media interactions were extracted for Cleft Talk panel discussions (2019-2020). The Leaver’s Pack was piloted in 2020, using an online evaluation form. Specialist health professionals were invited to provide feedback or participate in a one-to-one interview regarding their perceived impact of the program. Results: All 3 interventions across the different modalities received support from participating adults, demonstrating potential to meet adults’ needs across the life span. Health professionals also offered support for the program, viewing the interventions as a valuable adjunct to formal medical CL/P services. Conclusions: This exploratory evaluation indicates that peer- and community-led interventions, in combination with ongoing access to specialist medical care, can have a range of positive impacts for adults with CL/P. There is scope for similar initiatives to be developed internationally and for individuals with other craniofacial conditions. Not-for-profit organizations are encouraged to routinely evaluate their interventions to create a stronger evidence base for their valuable work.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey Kaden ◽  
Gary Peters ◽  
Juan Manuel Sanchez ◽  
Gary M. Fleischman

PurposeThe authors extend research suggesting that external funders reduce their contributions to not-for-profit (NFP) organizations in response to media-reported CEO compensation levels.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a maximum archival sample of 44,807 observations from US Form 990s, the authors comprehensively assess the extent that high relative NFP CEO compensation is associated with decreases in future contributions.FindingsThe authors find that donors and grantors react negatively to high relative CEO compensation but do not react adversely to high absolute executive compensation. Contributors seem to take issue with CEO compensation when they perceive it absorbs a relatively large portion of the organizations’ total expenses, which may hinder the NFP’s mission. Additional findings suggest that excess cash held by the NFP significantly exacerbates the negative baseline relationship between future contributions and high relative CEO compensation. Finally, both individual donors and professional grantors are sensitive to cash NFP CEO compensation levels, but grantors are more sensitive to CEO noncash compensation.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors’ data are focused on larger NFP organizations, so this limits the generalizability of the study. Furthermore, survivorship bias potentially influences their time-series investigations because a current year large-scale decrease in funding due to high relative CEO compensation may cause some NFP firms to drop out of the sample the following year due to significant funding reductions.Originality/valueThe study makes three noteworthy contributions to the literature. First, the study documents that the negative association between high relative CEO compensation levels and future donor and grantor contributions is much more widespread than previous literature suggested. Second, the authors document that high relative CEO compensation levels that trigger reductions in future contributions are significantly exacerbated by excess cash held by the NFP. Finally, the authors find that more sophisticated grantors are more sensitive to noncash CEO compensation levels as compared with donors.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishnamurthy Surysekar ◽  
Elizabeth H. Turner ◽  
Clark M. Wheatley

ABSTRACT We address the impact of financial flexibility on organizational performance in a not-for-profit (NFP) setting. Specifically, we examine the link between donor-imposed financial inflexibility and subsequent donations. Donors sometimes impose restrictions on NFP use of the donated resources. These restrictions arise because of donors' preferences regarding how the assets are used, or as a mechanism for donors to monitor the actions of NFP management. Restricted donations cause financial inflexibility and limit managerial discretion. We examine the costs and benefits of restricting managerial discretion and find a negative relation between future donations and high levels of donor restriction. Specifically, we empirically demonstrate that when restricted assets comprise a high percentage of total assets, additional increases in restricted assets are associated with an overall reduction in future donations.


Author(s):  
Anurag Komanduri ◽  
Zeina Wafa ◽  
Kimon Proussaloglou ◽  
Simon Jacobs

App-driven ridesharing platforms are gaining popularity and are transforming urban movement patterns in cities throughout the world. Because of privacy and business considerations, their owners have released little information about riders’ trip-making characteristics. This lack of data prevents planners and modelers from understanding and quantifying the impact of these new modes on regional travel patterns. In 2016, RideAustin, a not-for-profit company, was established to provide mobility-on-demand services in the Austin region. RideAustin released its dataset of over one million trips to researchers to support transportation planning through a better understanding of urban travel flows. This paper presents findings from an in-depth analysis of this dataset and summarizes key aspects of interest to the transportation research community such as the number of riders, drivers, and trips; total vehicle miles including deadhead miles; and terminal times. The paper also presents findings from two case studies that show the competitiveness of RideAustin versus transit and the utilization of the RideAustin system during the South by Southwest festival. While some of the metrics cannot be readily transferred to other regions, several findings can be used by planners and modelers as they integrate rideshare systems within their planning and modeling frameworks. We also believe that some of the research findings may provide insights into a future system of autonomous and shared vehicles.


Author(s):  
Benjamin Gottlieb

ABSTRACTDrawing on the literature on the extensive investment older adults make in volunteering, and on the findings of a study of 19 not-for-profit agencies that rely heavily on older adults to provide a variety of community services, this paper identifies several significant changes in the character of the clients who are served by these volunteers and in government health policies affecting the delivery of community services. The paper concludes with suggestions for research and policy development aimed to optimize the contribution which older volunteers make to society and reciprocally, the contribution that volunteering makes to the health and well-being of older adults.


2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda M. Parsons

This study uses a field-based experiment combined with a follow-up laboratory experiment to investigate whether accounting information reduces perceived uncertainty about nonprofit operations. Potential donors were sent, via a direct mail campaign, fundraising appeals containing varying amounts of financial and nonfinancial information in order to determine whether individual donors are more likely to contribute when accounting information or voluntary disclosures are provided. Participants in a lab experiment were asked to assess the usefulness of the different versions of the fundraising appeals. A logistic regression provides evidence that some donors who have previously donated use financial accounting information when making a donation decision. The results are inconclusive regarding whether donors use nonfinancial service efforts and accomplishments disclosures to determine whether and how much to give, but participants in the lab experiment judged the nonfinancial disclosures to be useful for making a giving decision.


Author(s):  
Janet Bouttell ◽  
Andrew Briggs ◽  
Neil Hawkins

Abstract Health technology assessment conducted to inform decisions during technology development (development-focused or DF-HTA) has a number of distinct features compared with HTA conducted to inform reimbursement and usage decisions. In particular, there are a broad range of decisions to be informed related to the development of a technology; multiple markets and decision makers to be considered; a limited (and developing) evidence base; and constrained resources for analysis. These features impact upon methods adopted by analysts. In this paper, we (i) set out methods of DF-HTA against a timeline of technology development; (ii) provide examples of the methods’ use; and (iii) explain how they have been adapted as a result of the features of DF-HTA. We present a toolkit of methods for analysts working with developers of medical technologies. Three categories of methods are described: literature review, stakeholder consultation, and decision analytic modeling. Literature review and stakeholder consultation are often used to fill evidence gaps. Decision analytic modeling is used to synthesize available evidence alongside plausible assumptions to inform developers about price or performance requirements. Methods increase in formality and complexity as the development and evidence base progresses and more resources are available for assessment. We hope this toolkit will be used in conjunction with the framework of features of DF-HTA presented in our earlier article in order to improve the clarity and appropriateness of methods of HTA used in DF-HTA. We also seek to contribute to a continuing dialogue about the nature of, and the best approach to, DF-HTA.


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