Transforming Lives
Recognising and centering the family unit as a locus of strength and agency, Sunshine is a unique tailored response to enable families to grow their good life.
Sunshine draws on the emerging field of relational practice to grow strong trusting relationships with families as a mechanism for transformation.
The Sunshine Model
Sunshine Model was co-designed over two-year action research project run in partnership with Ruah Community Services. The project arose as a result of the findings of the 100 Families Project which had identified ways that the helping system can often fail families experiencing complex challenges.
By working closely with six families in the Kwinana/Rockingham region and collaborating with local organisations, the team developed and tested various support elements to help families overcome obstacles and improve their lives.
After an independent evaluation and promising outcomes, the model is now being scaled to support more families through transformative journeys. With the generous backing of our philanthropic partners, the ShiftLab team is embedding the Sunshine approach in key frontline services at Anglicare WA and Ruah Community Services across WA.
Sunshine coaches are now available in Geraldton, Kununurra, Albany, Perth metro, and Kalgoorlie.
Service teams implementing Sunshine receive resources, ongoing coaching, and support, along with opportunities to share learnings within a growing community of practice.
The Outcomes
During the initial 2-year design and testing phase, the design team collected a range of qualitative and quantitative data from participating families and other stakeholders through surveys, semi-structured interviews, workshops. For more detail, please see the Evaluation and Design reports.
Highlight outcomes are captured below:
Families each saw progress against 4-7 of the following SCORE domains.
- Reduced impact of immediate crisis
- Mental wellbeing and self-care
- Family functioning
- Material wellbeing
- Increased knowledge
- Empowerment choice and control
- Engagement with relevant supports
- Community and participation
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Connect with Someone New
Medina's community conversation bench is a place where you can connect with someone new. Whether you’re looking to make a new friend or just want to share a moment with a neighbour, this bench is here for you.
