Relational contracting is one of the most talked-about ideas in Australian community services right now. But what does it actually mean — and how do you do it?
This webinar cuts through the concept and gets straight to implementation. With over 630 registrations from across government, non-profits, primary health networks and the research sector, it’s clear this conversation is overdue.
Our panel — Liz Forsyth (ForsythClement Advisory), Andrew Davitt (PLACE) and Emma Cook from the Australian Government Department of Social Services — covers what relational contracting is, when to use it (and when not to), real-world case studies including South Australia’s Child and Family Support System, and what DSS is currently developing as a model for community services.
ARACY anchors relational contracting to child and family wellbeing outcomes using The Nest framework — shaping what gets prioritised, measured, learned from and improved, not just delivered.
Watch the recording and explore the resources below — curated from the evidence base and shared by audience members on the day.
Why this matters now
Short-term, compliance-heavy contracts have produced fragmented services, workforce instability and poor outcomes for families. The DSS Family and Community Services review, the Safe and Supported national framework, and the proposed reform of Communities for Children programs all point in the same direction: the sector needs to shift from managing contracts to building relationships that learn and adapt over time.
Webinar Presentation
Liz Forsyth, Founder of ForsythClement shared some of her presentation on relational contracting with webinar participants – a great resource for anyone working on relational contracting.
ARACY RELATIONAL CONTRACTING 101 RESOURCES
The evidence base — Prof. Mark Considine AM, University of Melbourne
Why read this? Considine and Prof. Bruce Bonyhady AM are Australia’s leading researchers defining what relational contracting actually is — and isn’t. Two papers plus Considine’s 2025 presentation to the Minister’s Non-profit Productivity Roundtable. If you want the intellectual grounding behind today’s conversation, start here.
University of Melbourne — Relational Contracts research project
Relational contracting in practice — SA Child and Family Support System
Why read this? The closest Australian example to what today’s session is pointing toward. CPD and The Front Project document how SA’s Department of Human Services used relational contracting to achieve a 93% family preservation rate — covering the real mechanics of co-designed KPIs, trust-building with providers, and what conditions made it work. If you want to see everything discussed today applied to a real system, this is it.
CPD/Front Project — How to Embed Learning Systems in Social Services (PDF, January 2026)
WEBINAR AUDIENCE SUGGESTIONS
These resources were shared by audience members in the chat during the webinar. If you have something worth adding to this list, get in touch.
SA Commissioning and Outcomes Frameworks — Department of Human Services SA Shared by Jessica, Department of Human Services SA
Why read this? This is the live commissioning framework underpinning the SA Child and Family Support System that Andrew Davitt spoke to in the webinar. It sets out DHS’s seven commissioning principles — including relationship-based, innovative and flexible, and shared accountability — alongside the outcomes framework that shapes what gets funded and measured. If you want to understand what relational contracting looks like embedded in government infrastructure, this is it. DHS SA — Commissioning and Outcomes Frameworks
Relational Contracting — Government Outcomes Lab, University of Oxford Shared by Jessica, Department of Human Services SA
Why read this? A rigorous, jargon-free guide from Oxford’s Government Outcomes Lab covering what relational contracting is, when to use it, the real risks and challenges, and how to adopt it in practice — including procurement. If you want the international evidence base and practical design guidance behind the conversation in today’s webinar, start here.
GO Lab, Oxford — Relational Contracting guide
Degrees of Relationality in Public Services — Benjamin Taylor, RedQuadrant / Public Service Transformation Academy Shared by Keira, Centre for Public Impact
Why read this? One of the most useful diagnostic tools to emerge from today’s conversation. Taylor maps nine degrees of relationality — from coercive to citizen-governed — and gives you a practical ladder for working out where your system sits and how to move it. It directly answers the question of whether relational contracting is really just a tone of voice or something that has to be designed in. Work in progress, shared March 2026.
Download — Degrees of Relationality (PDF)
Elevating Diverse Voices Learning Program — Centre for Public Impact Shared by Keira, Centre for Public Impact
Why read this? Diana mentioned this in the webinar — and it’s free. The Centre for Public Impact is offering a four-month learning program for middle to senior managers in early years policy roles in state and federal government, running April–July 2026. It covers evidence appraisal, deep listening, relational working and influencing systems. Exactly the capability-building that came up in the audience questions about what relational commissioning actually takes. Apply now — places are limited.
Download program overview (PDF)
Safe and Supported — Implementation, Department of Social Services Shared by Marinda, Department of Education, Children and Young People, Tasmania
Why read this? The national framework driving child safety reform across all Australian governments — and the policy context sitting behind what Emma Cook spoke to in the webinar. Safe and Supported sets out the 10-year vision and two action plans (2023–2026) for protecting Australia’s children, including First Nations children. It’s the systemic backdrop to why relational contracting in community services matters now, not later. DSS — Safe and Supported Implementation
A New Approach to Programs for Families and Children — Discussion Paper, DSS Shared by Chris, Curtin University
Why read this? This DSS discussion paper proposes merging five existing child and family programs — including Communities for Children — into a single national program. It’s the reform that makes relational contracting urgent for the community services sector right now. If you work in CfC, family support or early years, this directly shapes what your funding environment will look like. Consultation closed in late 2025 but the paper sets out the direction of travel.
DSS — A New Approach to Programs for Families and Children (PDF)
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With six connected areas, The Nest ensures young Australians have everything they need for the best start in life, helping them reach their highest potential.
Using The Nest, has helped ARACY to be at the forefront of disease prevention and the promotion of holistic health for young Australians.
Here you’ll see some examples of how The Nest has been used in organisations outside of ARACY across Australia.
