aes26 International Evaluation Conference: Full Schedule

Presenter and chair information page, resources for conference presenters, authors and session chairs.

11:00am ACST

Developmental Evaluation and Value for Investment: A New Pathway for Complex Systems Change

Thursday September 17, 2026 11:00am - 11:30am ACST

Authors: Zoe Enticott, Clear Horizon, Kate McKegg, The Knowledge Institute Ltd
Governments are increasingly investing in complex systems change initiatives that challenge conventional approaches to evaluation and value for money. In Australia, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is undertaking significant aged care reform, including a $77 million investment in a networked stewardship approach. Evaluating such dynamic policy initiatives requires approaches that can support both real-time learning and adaptive decision-making, while also providing credible assessments of value.

We will present how we combined developmental evaluation and complexity-aware VFI in order to bridge the gap between operational learning and adaptation, and future policy decision-making. We will share how our approach accommodated uncertainty, integrated diverse forms of evidence and stakeholder views, and enhanced the capacity for learning and adaptation in complex and rapidly changing systems-change initiatives.

This supports the conference sub-themes of ‘Boundaries and bridges’ and ‘Roots and routes’ by demonstrating the interplay between economics, evaluation, innovation and policy, and how combining approaches across disciplines can help us navigate new pathways for relevance and impact. We will pay particular attention to how we used participatory and user-centred methods to support reflection and learning, including in our rubric-based VFI approach which was based on democratic deliberation. Our VFI evaluation used a novel approach to considering the diverse types of value created through complex and systems-change initiatives, including the potential value to create future systems change, which is often not considered.

We will also share the challenges and practical strategies we used to manage the resource and time demands of iterative cycles and deliberative processes, as well as the need for evaluator competencies in systems thinking, facilitation, and relational awareness. The session will focus on practical lessons and emerging insights, with time for participants to reflect on their own contexts and share experiences of evaluating complex systems change.

Chair

Phillip Belling

Senior Evaluator, Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, NSW Department of Education

Talk to me about evaluation that transforms lives and enables social change. I’m interested in realist, developmental, embedded and responsive evaluation; evaluation in complex education systems; evaluation capacity building; and how we make credible evaluative judgements about... Read More →

Speakers

Zoe Enticott

Principal Consultant, Clear Horizon

An evaluator and facilitator working for social impact, I'm passionate about developmental, collaborative and trauma informed approaches that elevate the voices of people and communities. Over the past 10-years I have worked across the government, not-for-profit and community sectors... Read More →

Kate McKegg

Director, The Knowledge Institute

Kate has specialist skills in supporting evaluative thinking and practice in complex settings where people are innovating to create systems change. She has been applying these skills for over 25 years in government, non-government, philanthropic and community contexts, including many... Read More →

Thursday September 17, 2026 11:00am - 11:30am ACST
Waterfront 2 Stokes Hill Rd, Darwin City NT, Australia

Roots and routes

Format Short paper
Audience Level Foundational, Intermediate
Industry Health and disability, Public administration and safety
ID 227

aes26 International Evaluation Conference

11:00am ACST

Phillip Belling

Zoe Enticott

Kate McKegg

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