Grant evaluation support, Queensland Mental Health Commission

Evaluation of the QMHC’s Better Futures Grants Program 2018–2019, Queensland Mental Health Commission

The Queensland Mental Health Commission’s (QMHC) Better Futures Grants Program for 2018–2019 aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing, and social inclusion of people with a lived experience of mental illness, problematic alcohol and other drug use, or those impacted by suicide, through focusing on employment and housing. The QMHC engaged LivSmart (a subsidiary of HMA) to undertake the evaluation of the Better Futures Grants and build the capacity of and support grant recipients to undertake comprehensive evaluations of grants at a local level. Support for grant recipients included:

• Undertaking a one-day capacity-building workshop:
  • Development of a tailored workshop program based on instructional design principles. Materials included workshop presentation, learner’s resource, and facilitator’s guide.
  • Delivery of an interactive one-day, face-to-face workshop at a central location, including individual and small group activities.
  • Post-workshop feedback questionnaire.
  • Provision of workshop summary and analysis of feedback questionnaire to the QMHC.
• Post-workshop support to participants regarding development of a program logic and evaluation plan.
• Ongoing support to grant recipients via phone and email.
• Review of participant progress reports and final evaluation reports.

The project commenced in 2019 and was completed in December 2021. The workshop was held in August 2019.