Family Violence Initiative

Lessons Learned from Projects Funded Through the Family Violence Initiative 1998/99 to 2002/03

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11. LESSONS LEARNED: IMPLICATIONS FOR DOJ FVI POLICY AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

This study examined sixteen (16) projects that addressed various aspects of family violence issues from a variety of perspectives, levels and approaches. Overall, all of the projects in this sample were successful in meeting their specific project objectives, and two thirds are still active in some way. Their collective experiences lead to a number of observations and lessons learned, in terms of the conditions that can contribute to successful implementation and results. These conditions for success can be grouped around a number of broad themes.

11.1. Adequate Infrastructure

The first theme relates to the importance of adequate infrastructure. Most of the Project Sponsors were relatively well-established organizations with some type of organizational infrastructure in place that provided significant in-kind support, which contributed to the project's successful implementation. Some Project Sponsors were also able to co-ordinate with, or draw on, other organizations and individuals in the wider community for support, which was particularly helpful when Project Sponsors were just getting underway. One suggestion for ensuring that there is sufficient infrastructure for projects to be successful include the use of assessment tools to map capacities available within the organization, as well as to identify what can be developed and/or acquired, through links with other individuals and organizations.

11.2. Leadership, Commitment and Connection

The second theme relates to leadership, commitment and connections. All of the Project Sponsors and their partners articulated and demonstrated leadership and a strong commitment to addressing family violence issues and to ensuring that their work connected to the needs, problems and solutions of a specific population or situation. Being open, taking the time to understand the contextual and cultural dimensions of the work (and adapting approaches and methods to fit the situation) is also linked to successful implementation.

11.3. Partnerships

The third theme relates to partnerships. The majority of the Project Sponsors had working relationships with other key stakeholders. They were able to build and expand on those relationships in the course of planning and implementing their projects. Working together with others — whether in a formal partnership, through an advisory group, or a consultative process — brought several key, tangible benefits to the projects. The most commonly cited benefit of working together was that it enabled Project Sponsors to access a wider range of knowledge and expertise than they would have been able to if they had proceeded on their own. Working together also helped Project Sponsors to obtain support and buy-in for the work they were doing. Working together can also help to build a supportive and safe environment for working on family violence issues. This is particularly important for community-level interventions and training initiatives, as such initiatives can open up a range of personal issues for those participating in the training. Links to support services in these situations are critical.

The specific ways in which Project Sponsors worked with other stakeholders varied considerably, and for the most part was matched to the requirements of the project. A consultative approach to working together was particularly helpful in relatively straightforward tasks, such as having external experts review PLEI products. Projects that were more developmental in nature, or had the potential to have a wider impact on other stakeholders and the community at large, typically employed more co-ordinated or collaborative approaches. This included establishing advisory groups and steering committees for the project overall. Such types of partnerships had the added benefits of providing a forum for communication and dialogue. At the same time, they frequently required more significant levels of investment of time, energy and resources to manage and co-ordinate than the Project Sponsor envisioned. They also required a significant investment of time, energy and resources on the part of the participating partners in order to be successful. Some suggestions for ensuring that working together happens smoothly and efficiently that can be drawn from the Project Sponsors' experiences include:

• Be strategic — think about what type of partnership approach makes most sense for the type of project that is being undertaken.
• Carefully consider who the best partners are — and how they should be involved. Consider how formalized the partnership should be.
• Ensure that the goals in working together are clear to all parties involved, and that the processes put in place work together efficiently.
• Ensure that partners understand their roles and responsibilities with respect to the project, including the investment of time and resources that might be required of them. Respect for timelines by all parties is also important.
• Remember that partnerships will continue to evolve and change over the course of the project.
• Consider the type of capacity that your organization will need to co-ordinate and communicate with Project Partners. Ensure that there is sufficient time and resources for co-ordination and communication.
• Have a strategy in place to address problems and issues that might arise, and revisit the terms of the partnership from time to time.

11.4. Project Funding as a Tool

The fourth theme relates to project funding. Overall, project funding is a valuable tool, however it is important to recognize its limitations. In the projects studied, DOJ FVI project funding helped organizations to undertake activities that they would not have been able to do otherwise. It allowed some Project Sponsors to innovate by providing the opportunity to initiate and implement new ideas. Others were able to create very specific educational tools. For others, project funding helped them to advance new, or reinvigorate existing initiatives. At a broader level, the results of DOJ FVI project funding continue to accrue and continue to contribute to capacity, primarily in the areas of the development of knowledge and of human and social capital. Yet at the same time, project funding is time limited. This is problematic when Project Sponsors have a wider or more long-term vision that they wish to implement, and when other sources of funding to continue or advance implementation cannot be secured.

On the administrative side, project funding also posed some difficulties. The first relates to timing. In some cases, Project Sponsors received approval for their projects late in the fiscal year and had to scramble in order to complete their projects in a timely way. The lesson learned here is that there has to be a realistic time frame for implementation. In particular, it is important to budget enough time for the planning and developmental phases of the project, particularly when there are other partners or stakeholders involved.

Project Sponsors believed that having more than one funder enabled their projects to have a broader scope than they could have otherwise. At the same time, however, having multiple sources of funding also placed a considerable administrative burden on Project Sponsors. It would be helpful if funders could better co-ordinate and harmonize their project management and reporting requirements.

11.5. Importance of In-kind Support

Access to in-kind support is also key to success. Project Sponsors clearly indicated that their projects would not have been successful without in-kind support. It is important to recognize that in-kind support includes the "opportunity-cost" that partners absorb when they voluntarily participate in projects.

11.6. Project Sustainability

A final theme is related to project sustainability. An important lesson learned is that Project Sponsors may continue to innovate and be active in some form after project funding is ended. At the same time, it should be noted that by definition, project funding is time-limited funding. Whether a project continued once funding had ended depended on various factors, including whether the results of the project were positive, whether there is an ongoing need or more to be gained from continuing, and whether new resources could be identified to continue the project.

The current project-oriented funding environment has been difficult for some Project Sponsors whose projects yielded successful results, and who believe in their products or services, yet have been unsuccessful in their efforts to access appropriate resources to sustain or advance their work.

11.7. DOJ FVI Policy and Program Implications

Overall, this study found that DOJ FVI funding has had a positive influence in addressing family violence at national and community levels. Given the scope of the problem of family violence, it is important that work on the criminal justice dimensions of this issue continue. Some suggestions for consideration are provided below:

• The project's link to improving the responsiveness of the criminal justice system and to DOJ/FVI priorities should be clearly articulated in funding decisions for both stand-alone and co-funded projects.
• Project Sponsors should clarify the role of partners within the project and confirm the nature of that role once the project has ended. (For future studies, it would be helpful if partners were made aware that they may be contacted in the future for research and evaluation purposes).
• Ways to better harmonize and coordinate the administration of co-funded projects should be explored with the DOJ/FVI co-funders, to lessen the administrative burden on Project Sponsors. Ways to coordinate and plan projects with longer-term funding implications should also be explored.
• The DOJ FVI should clarify the evaluation expectations and reporting requirements with Project Sponsors, to ensure that the Project Sponsors have adequate capacity, and have taken steps to evaluate their efforts (including securing the appropriate expertise and resources) at the outset of the project.
• DOJ FVI could consider playing a more proactive role in profiling the funded projects, and in disseminating project results to ensure knowledge transfer. A more proactive role would help to ensure that policy makers and program developers, organizations and communities could connect with others and learn from their experiences. This could occur in a variety of ways, for example by posting and promoting project results or descriptions on the DOJ FVI Web site, and by assisting Project Sponsors make their project information and results available to others (e.g. through their organizational Web sites, through newsletters, presentations, publications). It would also be beneficial if the DOJ FVI would host workshops or forums to bring together Project Sponsors working on similar themes or issues so that they could share project experiences, insights, results and lessons learned with others working at the community level, as well as with policy makers and program developers. Such workshops would facilitate knowledge transfer and would also enable the DOJ FVI to obtain feedback on the results of its activities, as well as advice on future directions.

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