Projects & Publications
We dive deep and get to the heart of Australia's biggest social issues through our Academic and Applied research.
Bankwest Social Impact Series 7: A year in the life of WA's social enterprises
The Bankwest Foundation has partnered with the University of Western Australia Centre for Social Impact (UWA CSI) to undertake a research program Supporting Development and Growth in the Community Sector ...
Competition and collaboration between service providers in the NDIS
Authors: Celia Green, Eleanor Malbon, Gemma Carey, Helen Dickinson and Daniel Reeders In recent decades governments in industrialised nations worldwide have been embracing market-based models for health and social care ...
Journey to Social Inclusion - First Year Outcomes
Authors: Paul Flatau, Ami Seivwright, Zoe Callis, Monica Thielking, Jessica Mackelprang, Kathryn Taylor, Louise La Sala Chronic homelessness in Melbourne: The first year outcomes of Journey to Social Inclusion Phase ...
Ganging Up on the Problem: A collaborative approach to improving the lives of veterans
By Andrew Hocking The Australian veteran support system is not broken, but like most growing systems, it is at a natural growth point where an opportunity exists to further mature ...
Building Connections for Enterprising Women
The Centre for Social Impact Swinburne is currently undertaking a project “Building Connections for Enterprising Women” with Good Shepherd Microfinance and colleagues at Swinburne Sarawak (Malaysia). Funded by the Australian ...
The State of Homelessness in Australia's Cities
Authors: Paul Flatau, Katie Tyson, Zoe Callis, Ami Seivwright, Emily Box, Lobna Rouhani, Sze-Wan Ng, Noah Lester, Daniel Firth Since 2010, Australian homelessness services, largely operating in the inner city ...
What are the health, social and economic benefits of providing public housing and support to formerly homeless people?
Our study examines five NPAH programs in Western Australia which support homeless people to access and sustain public housing allocations. In the standard case, without programs such as these, homeless ...
Roles of youth mentoring in addressing wellbeing, economic engagement and supportive communities for young people
Many young people in Australia experience poor outcomes in employment, education and mental health, with long term consequences for their social outcomes. Mentoring offers a potentially holistic and ecological approach ...
Developing a Theory of Change for You’re the Boss Financial Literacy Program
CSI was engaged by The Salvation Army and Westpac to develop a theory of change for the You’re the Boss, Moneycare’s financial literacy education program. The objective was to bring ...
Housing and homelessness Indicator Framework
The Centre for Social Impact in collaboration with Homelessness Sector Development, a partnership between Homelessness NSW, Yfoundations and Domestic Violence NSW, is leading a project to support Specialist Homelessness Services, ...
Salvation Army - Developing a strategy for Social Outcomes and Impact Measurement
The Centre for Social Impact was engaged to develop and support the implementation of a long-term strategy for Social Outcomes and Impact Measurement to strengthen The Salvation Army (TSA) – ...
Bankwest Foundation Social Impact Series 5 - The practice, prevalence and funding of outcomes measurement in the community sector
This is the fifth publication from the Bankwest Foundation Social Impact Series, and the third report in the research stream of Measuring Outcomes for Impact in the Western Australia Community ...
Amplify Social Impact
Amplify Social Impact is an innovative, world-first solution that aims to help address complex social problems. It will coordinate and connect people and ideas, and track where funding and initiatives ...
Development of NAB’s Corporate Responsibility Measurement and Evaluation Framework
CSI was commissioned by NAB to develop a social impact and outcome framework for its corporate responsibility (CR) portfolio to achieve a consistent approach for outcome measurement that supports decision ...
50 Lives 50 Homes - First Year Evaluation Report
A new research study report on a campaign to house rough sleepers shows how long term homelessness is associated with high levels of health problems, trauma and disability. 50 Lives ...
Digital Inclusion Index 2017
Online participation is increasing across Australia, however gaps continue to exist between those who are digitally included and excluded, linked closely to social exclusion and disadvantage. The latest release of ...
Developing Shared Outcomes for The Housing and Homelessness Sectors project
The Centre for Social Impact in collaboration with Homelessness NSW is leading a project to support Specialist Homelessness Services, Community housing providers and others, to identify and select appropriate outcome ...
Australian NFP Workforce Study
Everyone in Australia benefits from the great work of the Not-for-Profit (NFP) organisations that address social disadvantage, education, well-being, community, sports, biodiversity, artistic creation, cultural heritage, and more. Meanwhile, public ...
Resilient Families, Strong Communities Mapping service expenditure and outcomes in the Pilbara and the Kimberley
Economic, social and cultural conditions in even relatively geographically close areas can differ greatly. National reports on Indigenous disadvantage compare Indigenous outcomes with non-Indigenous outcomes at the national or state ...
Bankwest Social Impact Series 6 - The future of outcomes measurement in the community sector in Western Australia
This is the sixth publication from the Bankwest Foundation Social Impact Series, and the fourth report in the research stream of Measuring Outcomes for Impact in the Western Australia Community ...
A shared outcomes measurement blueprint for Australia
Australia spends over $420bn a year across health, social services, education and a wide variety of other social issue domains. The total cost accounts for around 30% of GDP and ...
Bankwest Foundation Social Impact Series 8: Outcomes Measurement in the Community Sector
This is the eighth publication from the Bankwest Foundation Social Impact Series, and the fifth report in the Measuring Outcomes for Impact in the Western Australia Community Sector research program. ...
Inquiry into social impact investment for housing and homelessness outcomes
The Inquiry aims to understand the opportunity, capacity and ability of social impact investment to address the complex social problem of how to improve housing and hopelessness outcomes in Australia. ...
Australia's Social Pulse
Australia's Social Pulse has a stand-alone website. You can access it here. Australia’s social purpose sector lacks a cohesive, consistent and reliable source that tracks our social progress. Without this, ...
The Financial Inclusion Action Plan (FIAP)
The Financial Inclusion Action Plan (FIAP) program, led by Good Shepherd Microfinance on behalf of the Australian Government in partnership with CSI and EY, aims to increase financial inclusion and ...
How is the disability sector faring? 2019 Report
Prepared by the Centre for Social Impact, UNSW Sydney Carey, G., Weier, M., Malbon, E., Dickinson, H., Alexander, D., & Duff, G. A report from the National Disability Services' Annual ...
Outcomes Measurement in the Australian Community Sector 2019
This is the tenth publication from the Bankwest Foundation Social Impact Series, and the sixth report in the Measuring Outcomes for Impact in the Western Australia Community Sector research program. ...
NSW Financial State Election Platform 2019
The NSW Financial Inclusion Network is pleased to release its State Election Platform 2019 This New South Wales election provides a real opportunity to address the state’s extraordinary levels of ...
The Change Collection: Orienting Your Journey
Indicator assessment and selection is an important process for outcomes measurement. But how do you get started? This guide, the latest in CSI's Change Collection, aims to give you the ...
Insights: Housing Affordability and Homelessness
This report examines the state of homelessness in Australia. Housing is a human right. It is fundamental to people’s current lives and their futures. Where housing is safe, secure, affordable, ...
50 Lives 50 Homes second evaluation report
50 Lives 50 Homes is Perth’s first Housing First project and aims to rapidly house and support Perth’s most vulnerable rough sleepers. This is the second report of a series ...
Market Stewardship Actions for the NDIS: new report
In response to growing concerns over the development of markets within the NDIS, key bodies such as the Productivity Commission and the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance ...
Homelessness in Western Australia
This report presents an overview of homelessness in Western Australia: its nature, composition, antecedents and consequences, and the policy and practice responses that we believe should be considered address it. ...
How is the disability sector faring? 2020 Report
Prepared by the Centre for Social Impact, UNSW Sydney. Carey, G., Weier, M., Malbon, E., Dickinson, H., & Duff, G. The National Disability Services’ (NDS) Annual Market Survey has become ...
Market Capacity Framework: An approach for identifying thin markets in the NDIS
Authors: Associate Professor Gemma Carey, UNSW Sydney; Professor Helen Dickinson, UNSW Sydney; Professor Anne Kavanagh, University of Melbourne; Gordon Duff, National Disability Services; Professor David Gilchrist, University of Western Australia; ...
100 Families WA
100 Families WA is a collective action research project with a vision to address the issue of entrenched disadvantage or hardship, as experienced by families living in Western Australia (WA). ...
Ending Homelessness in Western Australia
The Centre for Social Impact UWA (CSI UWA) is a founding member of the Western Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (WAAEH). The WAAEH is comprised of a group of individuals ...
Vanguard Laundry Evaluation
Providing employment and tailored career support can improve the health, wellbeing and finances of people living with mental illness, according to a new evaluation report from CSI Swinburne and Vanguard ...
Indigenous Financial Resilience
Authors: Megan Weier, Kylie Dolan, Abigail Powell, Kristy Muir, Amanda Young. This report builds on previous work on financial resilience in Australia and represents the beginning of an exploration of ...
Financial Resilience in Australia 2018
This report presents a headline measure of financial resilience in Australia in 2018, including a state comparison, and the population’s level of resources across all four components of financial resilience: ...
Promoting Work-Life Balance: Do Flexible Work Arrangements Really Work for Employees in Australia?
One-third of Australian employees have an agreement to work flexible hours, yet there is little evidence about whether flexible work arrangements in the workplace really promote work-life balance. This research ...
Assessing the Impact of Opportunity Child in Mt Druitt
CSI will provide leadership and support for the development and implementation of a research framework to measure the progress, effort and outcomes of the collective impact initiative known as The ...
Exploring Financial Wellbeing in the Australian Context
Money matters. It can determine, how we live, how stressed we feel and what options are available to us, now and in the future. The ability to manage money and ...
Financial Resilience in Australia 2016
The lucky country is feeling the pinch. One in eight adults in Australia (12.6 per cent) experienced severe or high financial stress during the past year, up from 11.1 per ...
Collaboration Health Assessment Tool
The Collaboration Health Assessment Tool (CHAT) is a simple yet powerful online resource for measuring how collaborators are working together now and into the future. CHAT gives users the option ...
The Navigator - Your guide to leadership for social purpose
The Navigator is your guide to leadership for social purpose. At the Centre for Social Impact (CSI), we believe that effective leadership for social purpose is one of the keys ...
Philanthropy and Philanthropists - Giving Australia
This report on philanthropy and philanthropists was prepared by the Centre for Social Impact Swinburne (CSI Swinburne) in collaboration with The Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS), Queensland ...
What drives the high health care costs of the homeless?
Existing research demonstrates that mean health care costs incurred by those experiencing homelessness are high. However, high mean health care costs mask the fact that a sizeable number of people ...
Social Enterprise Development and Investment Funds Evaluation (SEDIF)
The evaluation has found that SEDIF has been a program innovation, mobilising more than 124% of its original public investment in private finance to support public policy objectives. Available data ...
The financing, delivery and effectiveness of programs to reduce homelessness
The financing, delivery and effectiveness of programs to reduce homelessness: Inquiry into funding and delivery of programs to reduce homelessness is a study carried out by the Centre for Social ...
Financial Resilience in Australia 2015
Financial exclusion has not shifted over the last 8 years in Australia. One in six people remain severely or fully financially excluded. This group continues to experience disadvantage across multiple ...
Australian Digital Inclusion Index
The internet has transformed almost every aspect of our lives. But for the 3 million Australians who are still not online, the education, health, social and financial benefits of being ...
Finding Australia's Social Enterprise Sector: Final Report 2016
The FASES 2016 research project is a joint initiative of Social Traders and CSI Swinburne. Building on FASES 2010, the new report focuses on understanding challenges and opportunities experienced by ...
Analysis of Annual Information Statement Data - The Australian Charities Report
Go to the website: australiancharities.acnc.gov.au Each year charities registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) need to lodge an Annual Information Statement (AIS) with the ACNC. This project ...
Australia's Social Purpose Market: Understanding funding flows and exploring implications
This analysis was undertaken by PwC, as part of its partnership with the Centre for Social Impact, to estimate the scale in financial terms of the market involved in delivering ...
Cost of Youth Homelessness in Australia - Final Report
Homelessness is the ultimate experience of disadvantage and social exclusion. In 2011, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that there were 44,000 young Australians under the age of 25 who ...
The Financial Economy and Indigenous Young People In Australia
This report, funded by the First Nations Foundation, aims to better understand how Indigenous young people navigate the financial economy. It looks at the relationship between the Indigenous and mainstream ...
Accounting for Purpose in Social Impact: A Pragmatic Approach
A growing number of social purpose organisations are exploring ways to account for their creation of social impact. As an emergent practice, this study investigates the normative ideas and concepts ...
Building gender equity and diversity in the Australian Construction Industry
Gender equity and diversity among construction sector professionals is a persistent problem which exacerbates skills shortages, reduces economic productivity and constrains innovative capacity. There is little understanding of why formal ...
Health Care Cost of People with Intellectual Disability
This project is a health economics sub-study within of 3DN’s National Health & Medical Research Council Partnerships for Better Health Project, Improving Mental Health Outcomes for People with an Intellectual ...
Developing a Prototype for a Shared Outcomes Databank for Australia
Are we making progress? Developing a prototype for a shared outcomes databank for Australia - aims to design and develop a prototype for a shared outcomes measurement. The databank will ...
Gender Equality in Male Dominated Industries: Evidence from the 2014 Australian Workplace Relations Study
This project examines gender equality in male dominated industries using data from the 2014 Australian Workplace Relation Study (AWRS). It investigates direct measures of gender equality, such as gender pay ...
Striving for a Better Future for our Kids and Knowing Whether We're Achieving It: Establishing the foundations for a shared outcomes framework for 0-8 year olds.
This project is part of the Opportunity Child initiative. It will provide a critical foundation for a shared outcomes framework for early childhood. It aims to identify key outcome areas ...
Bankwest Foundation Social Impact Series 3 - Measuring the Difference We Make
The state-of-play of outcomes measurement in the community sector in Western Australia The term ‘outcomes measurement’ refers to the measurement of the difference that an initiative, program or organisation makes ...
Rural Disabled Women's Empowerment: Disability Arts Inclusion, Development & Governance
This project consisted of two components in the area of rural gendered-disability inclusion and development. The first component provided training and professional development in disability culture and arts leadership, successful ...
Bankwest Social Impact Series 2 - Resourcing Social Enterprises: Approaches and challenges
The Bankwest Foundation has partnered with the University of Western Australia Centre for Social Impact (UWA CSI) to undertake a research program Supporting Development and Growth in the Community Sector ...
Theory of Change for Community Housing
The project aimed to identify collective outcomes of the community housing sector and the steps (inputs and actions) that were broadly required to achieve these outcomes according to key stakeholders ...
Learning for Purpose
Download Here - Learning for Purpose: Researching the Social Return on Education and Training in the Australian Not-for-Profit Sector (2015) Full Report Learning for Purpose: Researching the Social Return on Education ...
The Travel Companion: Your guide to working with others for social outcomes
The Centre for Social Impact believes we need effective models of collaboration to develop innovative solutions to the biggest social challenges today. But not all problems require systemic change and ...
Finding Australia's Social Enterprise Sector 2015 - Interim Report
Finding Australia’s Social Enterprise Sector 2015, supported by Social Traders and led by Professor Barraket (now at the Centre for Social Impact at Swinburne University) have completed the first stage ...
Couchsurfing Students: The Yarra Ranges Youth Homelessness Prevention Project
The Couch Surfing Secondary Students (CSSS): Yarra Ranges Youth Homelessness Prevention Project has developed out of a research partnership between Anchor Youth Services, the Outer Eastern Local Learning and Employment ...
Bankwest Foundation Social Impact Series 1 - Measuring Outcomes for Impact in the Community Sector in Western Australia
The Bankwest Foundation and the University of Western Australia Centre for Social Impact (UWA CSI) have partnered to produce a long-term series of research projects that will transform the way ...
Eight Years on the Fringe: What has it meant to be severely or fully financially excluded in Australia?
This report presents the story of the severely or fully financially excluded across Australia over the 2006 - 2013 period. Between 2006 and 2013, almost one in six people in ...
The Cost of Youth Homelessness in Australia - Snapshot 1
A new report and the first national study of its kind, The Cost of Youth Homelessness in Australia, has revealed the extreme difficulties faced by homeless young people. Conducted to ...
The Compass: Your Guide to Social Impact Measurement
The Compass is your guide to navigating social outcomes and impact measurement. This guide is for everyone working towards the creation of positive social impact in Australia and who wants to know ...
PwC-CSI Community Index 2014
The third wave of the PwC-CSI Community Index was published on 13 October 2014. The survey of 305 not-for-profit chief executive officers was conducted between 23 May and 7 July ...
Assessing the Impact of Community Housing
The Centre for Social Impact at the University of New South Wales was commissioned by FACS Housing NSW to conduct a feasibility study regarding the assessment of the impact of ...
We can't afford not to: supporting young people within their families and communities from early adolescence to early adulthood
One in five young people are disengaged from full-time school or work. They are at risk of social isolation, community disconnection and mental health problems. We know the problem, but ...
Intellectual Disability and Complex Intersections: Marginalisation under the National Disability Insurance Scheme
This paper questions whether Australia's new disability support regime, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), can meet its aims for people with disabilities who also experience complex social disadvantage, using ...
Measuring Financial Exclusion in Australia 2013
Authored by Chris Connolly In May 2011 the Centre for Social Impact published its first measurement of financial exclusion in Australia. The research – commissioned by NAB - is repeated ...
Where the Money Goes
Authored by Gina Anderson collaboration with Myer Foundation, Telstra Foundation In a joint project, the Centre for Social Impact at the University of New South Wales and the Asia-Pacific Centre ...
PwC-CSI Community Index 2013
Authored by: Stephen Bennett in partnership with PwC The first wave of the PwC-CSI Community Index survey was conducted from May to June 2012, with the second wave conducted from ...
NAB StepUP Loan Program: Measuring the Impact
Authored by Les Hems, Stephen Bennett, Meiko Georgouras, Axelle Marjolin and Jade Wong The StepUP Loan program was NAB’s first commitment to improving financial inclusion in Australia. Since its launch ...
Social Impact Bonds: An Australian Snapshot
Authored by Emma Tomkinson This paper captures insights from the presenters at the Centre for Social Impact’s inaugural Social Finance Forum, which focused on Social Impact Bonds. It presents the ...
PwC-CSI Community Index 2012
The not-for-profit sector makes an immense contribution to both Australian society and the Australian economy. Not-for-profit organisations provide essential services in health, social welfare, education, culture and recreation, housing, pathways ...
Measuring Financial Exclusion in Australia
Authored by Chris Connolly In May 2011 the Centre for Social Impact published its first measurement of financial exclusion in Australia. The research – commissioned by NAB - is repeated ...
The Case for Change
Authored by Ingrid Burkett Dr Ingrid Burkett, Social Design Fellow at the Centre for Social Impact outlines the case for social change in Australia. Project objectives Dr Ingrid Burkett outlines ...
Australian Stories of Social Enterprise
Authored by Cheryl Kernot and Joanne McNeill “Australian Stories of Social Enterprise” was launched on 5 April 2011 by the former Minister for Human Services and Social Inclusion, the Hon ...
Solving Social Problems and Demonstrating Impact
Authored by Gianni Zappalà This briefing paper published by the Centre for Social Impact outlines a framework for understanding and solving social problems. Project objectives Two key challenges that confront ...
Report on the NSW Social Impact Bond Pilot
Authored by Peter Shergold, Cheryl Kernot, Les Hems, in partnership with Corrs Chambers Westgarth, JBWere, Macquarie Group, The Young Foundation Traditional ways of funding not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) to deliver programs ...
Social Procurement in Australia
How organisations spend their money, who they purchase from, and what they purchase, can have profound social impacts. Companies whose suppliers have poor labour standards, or organisations whose purchases result ...
Intersecting Transformations: Business and the Third Sector
Featuring papers by Peter Shergold, Helmut Anheier, David Vogel, Sandra Waddock, David Grayson, Marthe Nyssens The conference proceedings for the 2010 CSI International Research Conference, titled 'Intersecting Transformations: Business and ...
Managing in a downturn: Impact of economic downturn in NfP organisations
Managing in a Downturn was the first comprehensive research project to assess the effect of the economic downturn on Australian charities and nonprofit organisations. It assessed the projected increases and ...
The Common Cause Report into Sydney's Key Social Issues
The Common Cause project aimed to help create a more inclusive community and address issues of social disadvantage by making freely available an improved information framework to all interested parties who ...
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