Two reports released in November 2017 present findings from aligned research projects conducted by ARACY examining the use of community level data in Australia, specifically in the context of Collective Impact initiatives, and also the functioning of governance and collaboration models in Collective Impact.
The research underpinning these reports combines a rapid literature review with qualitative data to describe the current state of Collective Impact initiatives from each state and territory. This report helps to identify gaps in the collection and use of data for program design and monitoring in Australia including:
- A gap in understanding and definition of what community level data is and how it can be used to plan, deliver and measure Collective Impact initiatives
- That despite the large volume of publicly available data in Australia, many initiatives have experienced difficulty identifying and accessing the data required to measure and report on the issues facing their communities
- That there are significant domains for which data is not captured or available.
The report also suggests a number of remedies to overcome these gaps.
