aes26 International Evaluation Conference: Full Schedule

This is the draft aes26 program, subject to change. To register for workshops and the conference, go to: https://www.aes26.aes.asn.au/

4:00pm ACST

Who Shapes What Counts? Collaboration as Ethical Design in Large-Scale Evaluation

Wednesday September 16, 2026 4:00pm - 4:30pm ACST

Waterfront 1

Author: Stefano Verrelli (The Salvation Army)
How do you build a national outcomes framework without flattening local realities, sidelining frontline practice wisdom, or reducing lived experience to an input rather than a shaping influence?

This presentation shares insights from an outcomes and impact evaluation of one of Australia’s largest homelessness service providers, spanning more than 100 programs, 700 practitioners, and around 40,000 clients annually. The evaluation aimed to develop and pilot a nationally relevant outcomes measurement framework before broader rollout, one that could work across diverse service models, jurisdictions, funding contexts, and client groups.

The challenge was not only technical, but ethical. A standardised framework risked privileging some perspectives over others, adding burden to already stretched services, and embedding measures that did not reflect frontline service realities or add value to people accessing support.

This presentation argues that, in large-scale evaluation, a staged and deliberate collaborative process across design, piloting, and refinement is a core ethical strategy. Using this case example, it shows how this approach made space for perspectives not always given meaningful influence in shaping outcomes evaluation at this scale, including frontline practitioners, practice leads, and people with lived and living experience. In doing so, it helped ensure that decisions about what outcomes mattered, how they were measured, and how the framework would work in practice were shaped by frontline realities and lived experience alongside competing system priorities.

The presentation offers a practical lesson for evaluators working across multiple sites and systems: ethical evaluation in practice depends on how frameworks are collaboratively developed, tested, and refined before implementation. The session will conclude with brief guided reflection questions to help attendees consider implications for their own evaluation practice.

Speakers

Stefano Verrelli

Research Analyst, The Salvation Army

Stefano is a researcher and evaluator at The Salvation Army Australia. He works across a range of projects that support the organisation’s commitment to evidence-based practice, accountability, and the continuous improvement of its social and community services. His work also informs... Read More →

Wednesday September 16, 2026 4:00pm - 4:30pm ACST
Waterfront 1 Stokes Hill Rd, Darwin City NT, Australia

Ethics and integrity

Format Short paper
Audience Level Foundational
Industry Not for profit Philanthropy, Community and social services, Health and disability
ID 157

aes26 International Evaluation Conference

4:00pm ACST

Stefano Verrelli

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