Principles of Partnerships Addressing Disadvantage

Partnerships Addressing Disadvantage (PADs) should deliver demonstrably better outcomes for Victorians facing social challenges, but not all programs or investments may be suitable.

The below principles provide guidance on when PADs may be appropriate in the Victorian context.

Partnerships Addressing Disadvantage principles

Clearly define the client group

  • The issues facing a specific group of individuals need to be clearly articulated and understood.
  • The cohort of individuals needs to be defined and identifiable, with detailed eligibility criteria, and a clear pathway for referral.

Deliver measurably positive outcomes to individuals

  • Any proposed predictive measure will need to demonstrate high correlation with the desired social outcome.
  • Outcomes data should be clear, reliable and available.
  • Outcomes should be measured in relation to a clearly defined counterfactual.

Achieve value for money for government

  • Need to demonstrate a financial return to government from the investment above the return government would have received through continuation of its core business.

Deliver an intervention that is innovative, but with evidence of efficacy

  • Although one goal of PADs is to test an intervention, there should be enough research or evidence that government, investors and service providers have confidence that there is a reasonable chance of success.

Achieve a fair sharing of risk and return

  • Share risk with those organisations better able to mitigate that risk.
  • Not an expectation that investors take on all financial risk of program failure – a transfer of financial risk to government may take the form of a standing charge or capital guarantee.
Reviewed 24/10/2018
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