Theory-based evaluation of a three-tier early intervention initiative for young people
The challenge
Blue Light Victoria (BLV) is a not-for-profit organisation delivering community outreach, positive youth development, and mentoring programs for disadvantaged young people aged 10-25 in Australia.
Under a Commonwealth Government U25-GO grant, BLV delivered Positive Pathways, an initiative for young people who are engaged in, or at risk of, antisocial behaviour or criminal activity. It offered three tiers of support, all aimed at building young people's socioemotional skills, connectedness and wellbeing.
BLV needed a final evaluation that assessed how well the initiative was delivered and what difference it made. The evaluation took place shortly after the programs ended, so it had to focus on short-term outcomes and draw largely on existing program data.
How we helped
We took a theory-based, mixed methods approach. We used BLV's theory of change for the initiative to frame five key evaluation questions (KEQs), agreed with BLV, covering:
delivery against the grant
alignment with BLV's five "ways of working"
outcomes for young people
impacts on other stakeholders
opportunities for improvement
We built on BLV's own monitoring data, including pre- and post-program participant surveys, stakeholder surveys and facilitators' reports. We added a document review and interviews with BLV staff and with stakeholders such as police and community mentors, school staff and families. We mapped and pooled survey items across different survey versions, including simplified versions for specialist schools. We analysed the qualitative data thematically, using the theory of change as the coding frame.
Child safety considerations meant we could not interview young people directly. To keep their voices central, we drew on their open-ended survey responses and on facilitators' close observations, and triangulated across data sources to strengthen confidence in the findings.
We developed evaluation rubrics in consultation with BLV, with realistic performance standards for short-duration youth programs. We then facilitated a sensemaking workshop with BLV staff to review the evidence and reach evaluative conclusions together.
Looking forward
The evaluation gave BLV a credible, evidence-based account of how Positive Pathways performed across all three tiers, both for young people and for the schools, police and community partners involved. It also identified practical opportunities to strengthen school partnerships, mentor involvement and program design for future delivery.
“The Lighthouse team are professional, collaborative, and an absolute pleasure to work with. They took the time to truly understand our organisation and the communities we serve, which is reflected in the depth and quality of their work. Their thoughtful approach, responsiveness, and commitment to meeting deadlines have made them a trusted partner. We value their ongoing support of Blue Light Victoria as a charity and look forward to continuing to work together to demonstrate and strengthen our impact.”
Client: Blue Light Victoria
2026