By Josephine Haussler, Senior Evaluator, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (former Evaluation Adviser, National Indigenous Australians Agency)
In 2024, the National Link-Up Leadership Group (the Leadership Group) and beyond… (Kathleen Stacey & Associates) won the Evaluation System Award at the Australian Evaluation Society International Evaluation Conference in Naarm (Melbourne). This award recognised their outstanding work in co-creating a culturally safe national Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Strategy and implementing a Monitoring Plan across eight independent Aboriginal community-controlled organisations that provide Link-Up Services.
Link-Up Services support First Nations peoples who were removed from their families and communities as children, as well as their descendants, to reconnect with family, community, culture and Country. These services play a critical role in healing intergenerational trauma caused by past government removal policies.
What is culturally safe evaluation?
Evaluation is a powerful tool for understanding policy and program success and applying lessons. However, it has not always served First Nations peoples well.
As public servants, we have a responsibility to ensure evaluations are culturally safe—a commitment affirmed by the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which requires all governments to embed and practice meaningful cultural safety.
Culturally safe evaluation involves:
- Empowering First Nations peoples throughout the whole evaluation process—from planning and design to data collection, analysis and reporting.
- Addressing power imbalances and challenging biases through ongoing critical self-reflection on our own cultural identities and social positioning to understand how this influences approaches to evaluation and engagement with First Nations peoples.
- Going beyond inclusion to proactively create spaces where First Nations peoples feel heard, respected, and empowered to influence how success is defined and measured by First Nations peoples.
How was cultural safety practised in developing the Link-Up M&E Strategy?
The M&E Strategy was jointly commissioned by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) and the Leadership Group to reflect the full range of activities, strengths and outcomes of Link-Up Services’ work in supporting client healing and wellbeing. The Leadership Group governs the Strategy, with decision-making shared with NIAA. This ensures First Nations people’s values and expertise guide the project.
Key elements of culturally safe practice adopted in the project included:
- Joint project scoping and consultant selection, prioritising Indigenous leadership and culturally safe practice alongside M&E technical expertise.
- Time for relationship building among NIAA staff, the Leadership Group, and the beyond… team, which facilitated collective agreement on design elements and full participation by Link-Up Services.
- Prioritising First Nations knowledges throughout the co-design process. For example:
- The Link-Up theory of change prioritised First Nations evidence.
- Link-Up Services’ expertise in trauma-informed and culturally safe practices has shaped the design and continues to inform the use of the monitoring tools.
- Joint project scoping and consultant selection, prioritising Indigenous leadership and culturally safe practice alongside M&E technical expertise.
- Respecting Indigenous data sovereignty, with the beyond… team managing monitoring data processes to ensure Link-Up Services retain ownership and control of their data.
- Tailoring capability strengthening supports to assist Link-Up Services to implement the new monitoring tools and meet the specific needs of each Service. This support has been essential to enable Link-Up Services to fully participate and benefit from the project.
This collaborative approach has produced a fit-for-purpose M&E Strategy that delivers meaningful, high-value data for Link-Up Services and NIAA.
Reflecting on the Strategy’s significance:
“This strategy offers a way to streamline our work while making sure we are honouring the deeply personal journeys of our clients. It ensures that their stories are properly captured and valued, and that we continue making a tangible impact in their lives."
Patricia Thompson AM, CEO of Link-Up (Qld)
Want to learn more?
There is no one-size-fits-all approach for culturally safe evaluation—it depends on the context, policy or program characteristics, stakeholders, and the evaluation scope. But at its heart, it’s about building genuine partnerships and trust, sharing power, ensuring First Nations leadership and prioritising ongoing open dialogue with First Nations peoples.
Further reading:
- Link-Up Services
- Australian Evaluation Society First Nations Cultural Safety Framework
- Indigenous Evaluation (Australian Centre for Evaluation)
Contact the team to learn more.