Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) – Final evaluation report

The evaluation was designed to measure how well the strategy was going in its first phase, and what it has achieved.

The evaluation report, released in 2020, highlights the strategy has a sound approach which has the potential to provide more effective outcomes. It shows that the strategy has had a positive impact in schools, especially for students in their early years. It also suggests that the strategy is on the right track and has more work to do, especially for students in older years.

Other main things in the report are:

• Positive impact in schools, particularly at the primary level with younger school children.
• Disadvantage in these communities has had a big impact on attendance and engagement.
• There’s been some positive effect on Year 3 NAPLAN outcomes, but little evidence for positive effects on NAPLAN outcomes in older years.
• More links with services are required, particularly health services.
• Most school staff and communities support the strategy and see the benefits it brings.
• The focus on (Aboriginal) culture is having positive effects.
• There has been variation in results between schools (due to location and the impact of government and non-government services).

OCHRE (Opportunity, Choice, Healing, Responsibility, Empowerment)

The Connected Communities strategy is designed to complement the work of the Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairs whose recommendations informed the development of OCHRE (Opportunity, Choice, Healing, Responsibility, Empowerment), the NSW Government Plan for Aboriginal affairs.

The plan focuses on revitalising and promoting language and culture, creating opportunities, increasing people's capacity, providing choice and empowering people to exercise that choice, as well as giving them the tools to take responsibility for their own future.

OCHRE Review on Connected Communities

The OCHRE Review Report 28 October 2019 is a special report to Parliament by the NSW Ombudsman. It is a review of OCHRE over the past five years. The key activities that happen under OCHRE are: Healing; Aboriginal Language and Culture Nests; Local Decision Making; OCHRE Aboriginal Economic Prosperity Framework; Solution Brokerage; Opportunity Hubs; and Connected Communities.

The Report is positive about the Connected Communities Strategy, with the NSW Ombudsman saying that Connected Communities is showing promising results, and that the Ombudsman supports the Strategy continuing in the existing schools and also to other sites.