Evaluation of the Men and Family Relationships program: Final Report and Supplementary Report

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Date:  1 November 2002

Author:  Clare O’Brien & Karen Rich

November 2002

This is the Final Report and Supplementary Report of the evaluation of the Men and Family Relationships Program.

The evaluation of the Men and Family Relationships Program was undertaken for the former Australian Government Department of Family and Community Services from November 2000 to August 2002.

The evaluation examined the operation of the men's services funded under the program, as well as the experiences and outcomes for a sample of clients who received assistance from these services.

The evaluation found that the Men and Family Relationships Program is a highly successful and innovative response by the Government to the needs of men in the community.

Foreword 

The Coalition Government is committed to helping men build and sustain strong and satisfying family relationships.

In recent years, men have increasingly indicated that they are keen for practical support and advice on ways to become a better husband, father or partner.

For many men, however, traditional family support services have not appeared to reflect or accommodate their particular needs.

In response to these concerns the Government funded 53 projects around Australia under the Men and Family Relationships Program.

This Evaluation Report clearly demonstrates the success of the projects in finding innovative ways of working with men to help them develop greater confidence and skills in dealing with the challenges of modern family life.

I acknowledge the commitment and effort of the men involved and congratulate the service providers for their energy and creativity in responding to the needs of men in their local community.

Best wishes

Ross Cameron
Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister for Family and Community Services
May 2003

Executive Summary 

Background

The Men and Family Relationships initiative aims to assist men deal with emotional issues around relationships, so that they can manage a range of relationship difficulties and enhance or re-establish positive relationships.

The initiative was announced in November 1997, together with funding of $6 million over four years, as one of the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence projects. Initially appropriated to the Attorney-General’s Department, the money passed to the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services on its creation in 1998, along with the Family Relationships Services Program, of which the initiative is part. The funding was allocated to 18 community-based organisations to develop innovative services or projects which support men in their relationships. In 1998 the Government announced the provision of a further $10.5 million over three and a half years for an additional 28 pilot services, bringing to 46 the total number of organisations funded. Since then the pilot program has been extended until 30 June 2003 and total funding allocated increased to $22 million.

The men’s services are located in every state and territory, in a range of metropolitan, rural and regional locations. The pilots offer a variety of service types including counselling, skills development, education and community development activities.

This is the final report on the evaluation of the Men and Family Relationships initiative, undertaken for the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services from November 2000 to August 2002. The evaluation examined the operation of the men’s services funded under the initiative, as well as the experiences and outcomes for a sample of clients who received assistance from these services.

Key Findings

The initiative has proved to be very successful in providing services:

• in rural and regional areas of Australia, where men’s services have been practically non-existent;
• to a very diverse range of men, such as those from culturally and linguistically diverse populations, men from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and Indigenous men; and
• at key life transition stages such as the birth of a first child.

The initiative has deliberately and successfully emphasised different, innovative approaches to the delivery of services to men. This has involved men’s services operating:

• through non-traditional entry points;
• outside the traditional counselling or group work models; and
• in new locations such as community and sporting clubs and recreational establishments.

The popular assertion that men do not want to talk about themselves and their relationships and will not seek help in relationship matters has proved to be unfounded. Clients have responded very strongly to the existence of the men’s service. Many men have made comments such as ‘It is about time there was something for us’ and ‘Until I heard about the men’s service I didn’t have a clue where to go to get help’. The experiences of the services clearly demonstrate that men are open to relationship support, provided that the approach is male-friendly and non-judgmental.

The evaluation results emphasise the importance of a specialised service which is specifically badged as a men’s service. It is clear that many men perceive the ‘family services’ offered by other service agencies as being primarily geared towards the needs of women and children. During the evaluation comments such as ‘At last I have somewhere to go and someone to talk to’ and ‘There are so many services in my area for women and till now, none for men’ were made frequently.

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Effectiveness

The men’s services are highly valued by their clients and by other service providers, with 96 per cent of surveyed clients rating the services as either good or very good.

Almost all of the men surveyed (99 per cent) said they would recommend the men’s service to other men, with 44 per cent stating that they had already done so.

A very high 93 per cent of the men felt that they were making progress with the issue that brought them to the service. Overall there were high levels of agreement that attendance at the men’s service had brought about positive and constructive changes in skill levels and behaviour. The most highly cited changes were an increase in knowledge about relationships (82 per cent), an increase in selfknowledge (80 per cent), and an increase in knowledge about where to go for more support (78 per cent).

The men’s services provide a highly valued point of referral for other service workers. Many service workers said that prior to the establishment of the men’s services, men in their region had not been receiving support and assistance when they most needed it.

The need for a male identified service

Information gathered through interviews with men’s service workers and other service providers emphasises the importance of a men’s service which is clearly badged and marketed as specifically for men.

The vast majority of men surveyed (89 per cent) said it was important to them that the service had experience working with men. A service which is not identified as being specifically for men is unlikely to attract a large number of men.

The overwhelming response from those men who were surveyed during the evaluation has been to ask for more services specifically targeted to men and for increased publicity for the existence of such services.

Attracting men to the service

The men’s services have trialed innovative ways of accessing their clients. The major key to success involves finding a positive connection to bring the men into the service, thus building on men’s self esteem and existing skills rather than emphasising the negative.

Another major factor in attracting male clients is making the services easily accessible to men through:

• using a variety of non-threatening venues, for example, the establishment of a safe ‘dry’ facility at a men’s outreach service in a community where violence as a result of excess alcohol consumption has been an ongoing issue;
• going to where the men are, for example, conducting discussion groups for fathers on the weekends where they drop off their children for recreational activities;
• providing services outside standard business hours, for example, weekend father and son camps; and
• ensuring the on-site premises are male-friendly by ensuring that the décor and magazines are male inclusive and by displaying posters which present positive male images to their clients.

The most successful marketing methodologies include networking with other service providers and professionals, the use of positive language in brochures and posters and the endorsement of the service by well known people, or people holding key positions in the community. Word of mouth has also proved to be a significant factor in increasing awareness of the men’s services.

Providing services geared to the needs of men

There is a growing body of knowledge about effective strategies for engaging with men. Whilst the skill of the worker is arguably the most important factor in quality service provision, those working in the pilot services have identified some particular approaches which they have found to be effective. In the area of individual counselling, effective ways of working with men include identifying goals and strategies with concrete solutions, using practical methods such as diagrams and illustrations, written action plans and appropriately male language.

Group work can be a highly effective means of working with men, though there is recognition amongst men’s service workers that groups are not suitable for all men. One of the significant benefits of the group process is in breaking down feelings of isolation, particularly for separated men. Groups can also be highly cost effective because they assist men to establish support networks outside the service; hence there is less reliance on any individual worker as the sole means of support.

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Key intervention points

There appear to be some quite specific stages in men’s lives when they are most open to receiving information and skills development which will impact on their family relationships.

Some key intervention points are:

• young school-aged men;
• new fathers;
• men who have separated or are separating from their partners; and
• men after retirement.

There are also specific needs for services targeting:

• Indigenous men;
• men from non-English speaking backgrounds; and
• men living in rural and remote areas.

The cultural background of the client has a strong bearing on what methods will be most appropriate for working with particular target groups. To engage with a large number of Indigenous men, or men from specific cultures, it may be necessary to identify and market services firstly to the men’s Indigenous or ethnic identity and secondly to specific intervention points.

Availability of appropriately trained staff

Finding the right worker for the service has often proved difficult and expensive. The area of working with men is relatively new for many organisations. There appears to be a relatively small pool of experienced, qualified workers with appropriate personal qualities. There is a need for more training of workers and supervisors who are new to this field.

Men’s services are building a body of knowledge and developing expertise in service provision for men. Dissemination of this information is a key to the further development of successful services for men.

Conclusion

The Men and Family Relationships initiative has proved to be very successful in providing a variety of innovative services which take into account men’s particular needs.

The evaluation findings indicate that there is a high level of unmet need for services specifically targeted to men. The initiative has succeeded in attracting new male clients to existing services and the clients have responded very positively to the existence of men’s services.

The experiences of the services clearly demonstrate that men are open to skills development and relationship support, provided that the approach is male-friendly and non-judgemental.

The overwhelming response from those men who were surveyed during the evaluation has been to ask for more services specifically targeted to men and for increased publicity for the existence of such services.

1. Introduction 

• 1.1 The Men and Family Relationships initiative
• 1.2 Purpose and scope of the evaluation

This is the final report on the evaluation of the Men and Family Relationships initiative, undertaken for the Department of Family and Community Services over the period November 2000 to July 2002. The evaluation has examined the operation of the 46 pilot men’s services funded under the initiative, as well as the experiences and outcomes for a sample of clients who received assistance from these services.

1.1 The Men and Family Relationships Initiative

The Men and Family Relationships initiative was announced in November 1997, together with funding of $6 million over four years, as one of the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence projects. The initiative recognises that men have particular needs when seeking help with relationship problems. The funding was allocated to 18 community-based organisations to develop innovative services or projects which support men in their relationships. The initiative aims to achieve more effective outcomes for men and their families seeking assistance with managing relationships.

In 1998 the Government announced the provision of a further $10.5 million over three and a half years for an additional 28 pilot services, bringing to 46 the total number of organisations. Since then the pilot program has been extended until 30 June 2003 and total funding allocated increased to $22 million.

Background to the initiative

Research findings 1 indicate that men can have significant unresolved problems related to family and relationship breakdown. These have been linked with a range of social problems including poor health, unemployment and family violence. The research also shows that fathers’ parenting, particularly of sons, can be a key determinant of the next generation’s ability to establish non-violent relationships. Supporting men through their relationship issues had been identified as a definite area of unmet need.

Additionally, some men’s inability to cope with relationship breakdown can have serious consequences for their ex-partners and children. There is evidence that women are at greater risk of domestic violence in the period just after they announce their intention to leave a relationship.

In 1999, 50 per cent of divorces were initiated by the female partner and 31 per cent by the male partner 2. Women give a range of reasons for leaving relationships, including poor communication, lack of empathy or sense of partnership, drifting apart, and abuse. In about 90 per cent of cases women are the residential parent following divorce. The research shows that men who have separated, and particularly those whose relationships have ended against their wishes, can continue to experience poor health and well being up to 10 years after their divorce.

Separated men have a suicide rate about six times that of married men, and about 12 times that of separated women.

A key issue in the development of new policies and programs has been the recognition that existing services are not particularly successful in attracting male clients.

It appears that men access relationship support services at significantly lower rates than women, with some services reporting that fewer than 35 per cent of their clients are male. Also, men initiate first contact with services at even lower levels, and those that initiate contact do so at the later stages of their relationship difficulties, often when it is too late to avoid separation.

Commonwealth commissioned focus group research into men’s attitudes to relationship support services 3 showed that contrary to popular belief, men have a high degree of commitment to their families and are motivated towards the development and maintenance of successful relationships. However this commitment does not translate into attendance at services for a number of reasons.

Whilst difficulty with emotional openness and the traditional male ethic of selfreliance are certainly factors, men are generally willing to talk about their relationships and to learn new skills if the context is welcoming and the approach adopted is appropriate.

Services which build on men’s existing strengths and problem-solving strategies, rather than on perceived weaknesses, are more likely to succeed in engaging men.

Other findings of the research show that men:

• are not well informed about what counselling involves;
• believe that counselling does not ‘work’;
• feel that existing services are really for women;
• perceive counselling to be a last resort to save a relationship, or that needing counselling is a sign that a relationship is over;
• believe counsellors will take sides against them; and
• feel uncomfortable with the language and modes of communication traditionally used in counselling.

While the first 18 services in the men’s initiative fall under the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence banner, the funded services are more preventative than reactive and the presence of violence is not a requirement for entry into the programs. The initiative is not about the funding of domestic violence perpetrator groups. These remain primarily the responsibility of state and territory governments.

Aim of the Men and Family Relationships initiative

The aim of the initiative is to assist men deal with emotional issues around relationships, so that they can manage a range of relationship difficulties with partners and ex-partners, children and step-children and enhance or re-establish positive relationships in all these areas. The initiative also aims to help relationship service organisations develop more sensitive and responsive approaches to working with male clients.

The pilot men’s service projects

The pilot projects are essentially about trying new things, in new locations and dealing appropriately with a diversity of backgrounds, different life stages, cultural differences and relationship/parenting values, roles and responsibilities.

While many of the funded men’s services are generalist - they include counselling, relationship education and parenting skills programs - they are designed to be attractive to men and to take men’s particular help-seeking and problem solving strategies into account.

The initiative has at its core, the intention to deliberately trial different and innovative approaches to the delivery of services to men. Hence, there is a strong emphasis on trying:

• new things: some of the funded men’s services fall outside the traditional counselling or group work models. For example, one service is running father and son workshops, another is conducting culturally appropriate outreach activities with Indigenous men in bush camps;
• new locations: organisations are trialing the delivery of services in locations such as community and sporting clubs, recreational establishments and prisons; and
• non-traditional entry points: organisations are trialing the delivery of relationship and parenting focused groups in workplaces.

The initiative is targeted at:

• life transitions: the funded services target men at a range of relationship stages, including pre- and post-separation, and at particular life and relationship transitions, such as following the birth of a first child;
• diversity: some projects are working with men from culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Services include adaptations of successful courses with changes that take account of cultural differences in values, relationship roles and responsibilities; and
• separated men: almost all of the funded men’s services can be accessed by separated men, but some are specifically aimed at this group. Most of these services include as a key objective the improvement of relationships between separated men, their children and their ex-partners.

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1.2 Purpose and Scope Of The Evaluation

The broad purpose of the evaluation is described below.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot men’s services (or a selection of them, including Men Exploring New Directions Strategies program) in attracting an increased number of and new types of clients and delivering to them the following client outcomes:
  • men’s capacity for achieving and sustaining quality family relationships is enhanced; and/or
  • men’s relationships are enhanced; and/or
  • men’s management of relationship difficulties is improved.
• Bring together and assess findings across the range of projects that can improve Commonwealth policy and program development in this area, and influence service delivery agencies to adopt better service delivery methods. The findings should be in the following three areas:
  • men’s experiences around sustaining relationships with life partners, forming and maintaining effective parenting relationships with their children (resident or non-resident) and their partner’s children, and appropriately managing marriage breakdown;
  • effective strategies for relationship service delivery to men, based on findings about men’s experience and needs, and identifying appropriate service delivery models/best practice examples, including cost-effectiveness aspects; and
  • the effect on organisations of hosting a men’s service, in terms of influencing mainstream service philosophy, organisation, delivery methods, staff training and selection, and so on.

Evaluation methodology

The evaluation utilised four separate and complementary methodologies: a series of longitudinal community case studies; surveys of pilot service organisations; surveys of clients; and an examination of existing data.

The examination of existing data

Data on clients and service activity from the departmental FamNet/FaCSLink data base were extensively examined as a prelude to the implementation of the evaluation strategy. The analysis was reported to the department in December 2000.

To date, departmental data have been incorporated into all of the interim reports of the evaluation to date. The data is not utilised in this final report because an upgrade to the data base system is currently being undertaken.

The community case studies

The purpose of the community case studies was to gain an in-depth understanding of the experience of some pilot men’s services and their clients. The case studies were longitudinal in nature, with initial visits undertaken in early to mid-2001. Follow up visits were conducted approximately one year later, to examine the services at a more mature stage of development.

During the case studies, the views of the managers of the pilot service organisations, the men’s service workers, other workers in the organisation, referral and down stream agencies, and clients were sought. When permission was obtained the views of partners, ex-partners and other family members were also included.

The first round community case studies

Thirteen community case studies were undertaken in the first round. To achieve as complete an overview as possible, the organisations involved represented a mix of city, regional, and remote locations and included organisations with distinctly differing target groups and objectives.

In total, face-to-face, in-depth interviews were undertaken with:

• over 120 male clients and a number of family members;
• all the men’s service workers and managers from the 13 community case study organisations;
• over 40 staff of host agencies who are not men’s service workers; and
• over 50 service workers from other agencies.

The findings from the first round community case studies were discussed in detail in the third interim report, presented to the department in November 2001.

Workplace based community case studies

One of the findings of the first round case studies was that the provision of services to men in the workplace has proved problematic for many pilot men’s services. Despite having strong agency and/or personal links into workplaces the initial experience of many services targeting workplaces was disappointing. As a result, the approval of the evaluation steering committee was sought to include an additional two community case studies which had a focus on reaching men in their workplace. These two additional work based case studies were undertaken in early 2002 and reported on in the April 2002 progress report.

Second round longitudinal community case studies

The purpose of the longitudinal case studies was to determine the overall sustainability of the pilots. In particular, the case studies provide a means for examining the changes occurring over the life of the pilot for the organisation, as well as an assessment of the most effective strategies for attracting and delivering services to men.

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The surveys of pilot organisations

In April 2001 45 4 men’s services were requested to provide information, via a selfcompletion questionnaire, on their early experiences with the men’s services. Separate questionnaires were provided to the managers of the organisations, the men’s service workers, and workers within the organisation who had some dealings with the service but who were not directly involved in the men’s service delivery.

The survey obtained data on experiences with operationalising the men’s service; qualitative information on the type of client enquiring about and entering the men’s service; the types of services delivered; and the organisational consequences of providing the men’s service. The survey was undertaken in the relatively early stages of the development of the men’s services to obtain a snapshot of what was needed to operationalise the service and the short term organisational consequences of service provision.

The data from this survey was reported in both the June 2001 report (dealing with the first 18 funded services) and the November 2001 report (dealing with all the funded services).

Questionnaire responses were received from:

• 44 5 managers;
• 67 men’s service workers; and
• 85 other service workers from the host organisation who have some dealings with men’s services but who do not work for or directly with the service.

The second organisational survey

A second organisational survey was distributed to services in May 2002, approximately 12 months after the initial survey of pilot organisations was undertaken. Separate surveys were sent to managers of the host organisations and the men’s service workers.

The purpose of this survey was to obtain data on service activities at a more mature stage of development, concentrating particularly on best practice models of attracting and delivering services to clients; the learning outcomes of the pilot process in working with men; and the longer term organisational consequences for the organisations which have hosted the pilot men’s services. The data from these surveys are included in this report.

After considerable follow up with all the services, the number of returned surveys, from a possible 44 organisations was:

• 40 managers; and
• 72 men’s service workers.

The participant surveys

The first participant survey was designed as a self-completion questionnaire, to be distributed to pilot service clients by service workers. The survey sought information on issues such as how the clients found out about the service; their reasons for attending; the types of service they received; their levels of satisfaction; and their perceptions of the effectiveness of the service. To maintain client confidentiality, the questions did not focus on the personal issues of the clients themselves.

All pilot organisations were requested to distribute 50 questionnaires to male clients who had at least two encounters with the service. Female clients were excluded. Men who had attended a one-off information/community awareness session were also excluded as it was considered that they did not have sufficient indepth experience with the service to provide appropriate responses. The views of men attending one-off sessions, female clients and family members were sought during the community case studies. Distribution of the surveys was from September 2001 to November 2001, with the goal of achieving 30 completed questionnaires from each service. Service workers were asked to encourage clients to assist with the evaluation of their service by returning the completed questionnaire.

During the case studies and in general discussions most pilot services indicated that they consider the most appropriate method of contacting clients is through the service workers themselves. The research in this field also confirms the desirability of the service worker being involved in any survey activity. The participation of the service worker serves to reassure the client about the validity and confidentiality of the survey. This distribution method means, however, that it is not possible to be sure of the exact number of questionnaires given to clients and hence, it is not possible to determine the response rate for returned questionnaires.

Not all services were eligible to distribute the questionnaires due to the nature of their services. Some services were excluded from the client survey because they dealt with other professionals rather than directly with clients, or dealt with men who were homeless, illiterate or otherwise unlikely to be able to participate in a formal questionnaire process. Similarly, not all clients were eligible to receive a questionnaire. Clients who took part in one-off awareness raising or skills development activities were excluded. These activities form large components of the service activity of some pilot services. It is also important to note that once the surveys are distributed, services have no control over the number of questionnaires that are completed and returned.

The number of surveys received from the initial mail out was somewhat lower than expected, with 329 surveys completed and returned by the end of the designated survey period. To boost the number of responses, services were asked to continue distributing questionnaires until they had achieved their quota of 50 questionnaires distributed or until July 2002. The end result is a total of 576 useable survey responses.

Reporting

There have been four interim reports on different aspects of the evaluation to date, culminating in this final report. The interim reports include:

• a preliminary report on the FAMnet data extracts in December 2000;
• an interim report in June 2001 dealing with the first 18 funded services;
• an interim report in November 2001; and
• a progress report in April 2002.

1. Department of Family and Community Services, Evaluation of the Men and Family Relationships initiative, RFT FaCS/00/T078, pp 4-5.
2. Wokott, I and Hughes, J 1999,. ‘Towards understanding the reasons for divorce’, Working Paper No.20, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
3. Donovan Report 1998, Department of Family and Community Services.
4. One service has temporarily suspended operations, leaving 45 services participating in the evaluation.
5. One of the services has not participated in the organisational surveys. This service utilised the funding across its organisation rather than to set up a new men’s service; hence, there were no men’s specific workers to whom the surveys could be directed.

2. Client Outcomes 

• 2.1 Reasons clients attend the men’s services
• 2.2 Assistance received from the men’s service
• 2.3 Client satisfaction levels
• 2.4 Progress with presenting issue
• 2.5 Change in client attitudes
• 2.6 Changes in client behaviour
• 2.7 Overall views on the men’s service

This chapter looks at outcomes for the clients of the Men and Family Relationships pilot services using data from the male clients who responded to a self-completion questionnaire. Service workers distributed the questionnaires to pilot service clients during the evaluation. The chapter examines several important outcome measures, including client satisfaction levels, the extent and nature of progress with their presenting issue, and their views on the overall usefulness of the service provision.

The chapter also examines related issues such as how the clients found out about the service, their reasons for attending, and the types of service they received. To maintain client confidentiality, the survey did not focus on the personal issues of the clients themselves. A total of 576 survey questionnaires were returned.

2.1 Reasons Clients Attend the Men’s Services

Much can be learned about how to attract new male clients through an understanding of what brought the existing male clients to the service. This, coupled with knowledge of how the clients first heard about the service, can assist services to appropriately tailor publicity for their target group.

The most commonly cited reason for attending the service given by the surveyed men was to have an improved family life (23 per cent). Many men also wanted to learn more about themselves (22 per cent), or were seeking assistance separating from their partner (20 per cent).

%

The community case studies revealed that many clients who were attending counselling at the men’s services came because they were in a crisis situation. Just over half of the surveyed men (54 per cent) said they were in a crisis. Over a third of clients (37 per cent) were in a relationship crisis when they first visited the service, and 17 per cent said they were in a crisis that was not about their relationship. Some 25 per cent came to the service seeking information, and 18 per cent wanted general support.

Clients generally found out about the service through government agencies (22 per cent) or community organisations (19 per cent). Some 14 per cent found out about the service from a friend or family member (other than partner/wife), and 9 per cent from their partner or wife. The media, health practitioners and advertising brochures were less frequently cited as ways of finding out about the service.

The vast majority of men surveyed (89 per cent) said it was important to them that the service had experience working with men.

Table 2.4. Importance whether the service had experience working with men

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2.2 Assistance Received from the Men’s Service

Amongst the survey respondents, group work is the most common type of service provision, with 55 per cent participating solely in group activities. Less than onequarter (22 per cent) received individual counselling or support only. In all, 62 per cent of respondents were involved in group work, whilst 29 per cent received some form of counselling.

Information gathered during the community case studies confirms these data. Many of the men who came for individual counselling subsequently entered a group program, particularly if the presenting issue was around separating from their partner. As discussed later in this report, group work provides men with unique opportunities to share and gain strength from discussing their issues with other men in similar situations.

A major component of the service provided by many of the pilot services consists of community development activities. These often involve large-scale information sessions with popular speakers on men’s issues. Because of the one-off nature of these activities, the people who attended these activities were not included in the survey. The data below relate to the services provided to clients who had sought specific assistance with an issue. Most respondents (62 per cent) indicated that they received a mixture of support/counselling, information and skills development. A further 21 per cent received specific support and/or counselling.

Most of the survey respondents had been attending the service for a relatively short period of time. Around 27 per cent could be considered to be long term clients, having attended the service more than 10 times at the time of the survey. During the case studies it became obvious that there was a preference by many of the clients to resolve the issue relatively quickly. Hence attendance by more than a quarter of the client group of more than 10 visits could suggest clients with more complex issues.

Table 2.7. No of times attended

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2.3 Client Satisfaction Levels

The level of client satisfaction is an important indicator of the success of the pilots. Another well recognised measure of satisfaction is the willingness of individuals to make positive recommendations to friends and relatives.

Initially, the surveyed men were asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with the overall assistance they received. The clients were clearly satisfied, with 96 per cent rating the service as either very good or good. Only two respondents were unhappy with the service provided. These respondents provided no details on their reasons for dissatisfaction.

Almost all of the men surveyed said that they would recommend the men’s service to other men (99 per cent), with 44 per cent stating that they had already done so.

2.4 Progress with Presenting Issue

The men were asked how well they thought they were progressing with the issue that brought them to the service. Almost all (93 per cent) felt that they were making progress. Some 45 per cent reported that they were making a lot of progress, and 48 per cent reported making some progress.

Only 4 per cent (24 men) felt they were not making any progress, with reasons cited mostly related to access issues. One comment was ‘I still don’t have my children with me’. When respondents chose the ‘other’ response, this was due to their visiting the service in support of someone else. They felt that they had no ‘issue’ that needed support or assistance.

Evaluation of the Men and Family Relationships Initiative FINAL REPORT

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2.5 Change in Client Attitudes

Clients were asked how they felt about a range of potential changes in themselves as a result of going to the men’s service. Their ratings are shown in the tables below. Because not all survey respondents completed all of the questions in this section, the tables below show percentages only, so that a comparison across a number of specific changes can be made. The number of respondents is shown in Appendix A. The majority had strongly positive views of the specific changes that had occurred to them as a result of attending the men’s service.

The issue where respondents indicated the strongest positive change was their understanding of relationships. As shown in Table 2.2 above, 37 per cent of respondents indicated that they had attended the service because they were in a relationship crisis and 23 per cent indicated that their main reason for attending the service was to achieve a better family life. The fact that 82 per cent of all the respondents to this question indicated positive change suggests that their relationships had benefited considerably by the assistance provided.

Around 23 per cent indicated that the main reason they attended the service was to learn more about themselves. As shown below, 80 per cent of respondents indicated a positive change in this area.

Many of the men interviewed in the community case studies indicated that they had been desperate for assistance before finding out that the men’s service existed and would be able to help them. Over half the men surveyed (54 per cent) said that they were in a crisis at the time of service attendance. Some 78 per cent of respondents to this survey question indicated positive change in knowledge about where to find more support.

2%

During the community case studies service workers were very focused on increasing the skill levels of their clients. Around 76 per cent of respondents agreed that there had been positive change in skill levels.

An increase in skill levels, understanding of relationships and self-knowledge could be expected to result in increased overall confidence levels for men who attended the pilot services. Some 75 per cent of respondents indicated increased confidence levels as a result of attendance at the men’s service.

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2.6 Changes in Client Behaviour

Ultimately one of the best measures of long term success of the men’s services will be when clients’ changes in behaviour and modes of thinking have occurred as a result of the service provided to the men. Although it is always difficult to directly attribute behaviour changes to service intervention, the men themselves can often be the best judges of whether change is occurring.

The survey asked men to describe in their own words what things, if any, they were doing differently as a result of going to the men’s service. The responses varied, but the majority reported that the changes in their behaviour were positive and constructive.

The most common responses were that they communicated more (16 per cent), they think before acting (10 per cent), they were more confident (9 per cent), and were less angry or violent (9 per cent). Some 13 per cent of clients reported no different behaviour.

* Multiple responses were allowed so totals do not equal number of respondents.

2.7 Overall Views on the Men’s Service

Respondents were asked to identify the aspect of the men’s service which they found most useful. Comments varied, with many citing being with other men who were in a similar situation or being able to share their experiences with other men (23 per cent). Many identified having someone who listens and being able to talk about their issues as being most useful. Others praised the staff and their professional approach (16 per cent).

* Multiple responses were allowed so totals do not equal number of respondents.

Problems with the men’s services were also canvassed. The vast majority reported no problems (93 per cent). Those who had found problems gave reasons which related to the need for a greater level of service, for example an increased number of staff, difficulty accessing the service because of distance or cost, and the need for further assistance or follow up.

Most of the suggestions for improving the men’s service centred on continued service and increased publicity. Comments indicated that there would be a demand for services if more men were aware of the sorts of services that were available to them.

3. Service delivery 

• 3.1 Focus of service issues
• 3.2 Target groups for service delivery
• 3.3 The service activity mix
• 3.4 Determinants of the service activity mix
• 3.5 General principles of effective service delivery
• 3.6 Strategies for working with individual men
• 3.7 Strategies for working with men in groups
• 3.8 Community education and development
• 3.9 Cultural appropriateness
• 3.10 Strategies for delivering services to men in the workplace

This chapter provides an overview of the types of services provided under the Men and Family Relationships initiative, and examines the key findings from the pilot phase in providing effective services to men.

The data in this chapter are taken from:

• the community case studies;
• the first (early) organisational survey of managers, men’s service workers and other service workers not directly involved with the men’s services; and
• the second organisational survey of managers and men’s service workers, conducted around 12 months after the early survey.

To minimise confusion when comparing across manager and service worker responses and between the early and longitudinal organisational survey, percentages only are provided in most of the tables in this chapter. As well, in some cases the response of the longest serving men’s worker in each service has been chosen for reporting purposes. This is because there are varying numbers of service workers in different organisations and this has the potential to create a response bias.

Although there are a number of strong general principles, many of the learnings about effective service delivery to men are case dependent - that is, there are different ways of going about effective service delivery depending on the group of men being targeted, the personal issues of the client, and the type of service being offered.

3.1 Focus of Service Issues

The focus of the service will have important implications for the manner in which the service is delivered. Service workers were asked to identify the issue which was the major focus of their work with men. As shown in Table 3.1 below, relationship enhancement (38 per cent) was the most commonly cited issue, followed by relationship breakdown (32 per cent).

Source: Second organisational survey, May 2002: response of the longest serving worker in each service

These findings suggest a reasonably high level of proactive type of work being undertaken across the pilot services, in addition to services for men dealing with relationship breakdown.

3.2 Target Groups for Service Delivery

The choice of target groups for service delivery is also an important factor in determining effective delivery strategies. Many of the services (46 per cent) are working with a wide range of men, and do not target a specific group of men. Others have focused on specific target groups. The most common major target group is separated men (14 per cent). Fathers are the second largest major target group (8 per cent), with ethnic men, Indigenous men, and men in the workplace each being targeted by another 5 per cent of services.

Source: Second organisational survey, May 2002: response of longest serving worker in each service. *Includes services that were unable to nominate one particular target group.

When asked to indicate the difficulty they had experienced in engaging with particular groups of men, service workers clearly signalled that engaging with Indigenous men was the most difficult, with 50 per cent of service workers experiencing difficulty. Some 17 per cent said they had found it not difficult to engage with Indigenous men, and 33 per cent had not attempted to work with this client group.

Source: Second organisational survey, May 2002.

The groups with which service workers were experiencing the least difficulty in engaging were separated men (68 per cent not difficult) and fathers (47 per cent not difficult). These figures are perhaps reflecting decisions about major target groups shown in the table above; that is ethnic, Indigenous and men in the workplace make up only a relatively small percentage (5 per cent each) of the major target groups of services.

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3.3 The Service Activity Mix

Most of the men’s services provide more than one type of service, although there are a small number with a single focus, such as individual counselling or community development. Some services are targeting specific groups of men, such as Indigenous men or men from ethnic backgrounds, but the majority of services are working with men from a range of backgrounds.

Findings from the survey of organisations indicate a range of activity within the services, with the most common being individual counselling and education related activities. Community development and couples counselling are also common. During the community case studies it became obvious that there is considerable overlap among some of these categories of activity - for example, a structured group program is likely to involve skills development and education. However, the data illustrate the point that the majority of services offer a wide range of services.

A comparison of the activities undertaken by the services in their early days (the early survey) with those undertaken in a more mature stage of development (the second survey), reveals a change from an emphasis on skills development (91 per cent) in the set up phase to 46 per cent in the more mature stage. Conversely, individual counselling tops the list of more recent service activities, increasing from 77 per cent of service activity in the set up phase to 86 per cent in the mature stage. Education has remained a primary focus of the services.

* Multiple responses were allowed.
# Source: First organisational survey, April 2001.
^ Source: Second organisational survey, May 2002.

These changes in the service activity mix indicate that during the set up phase a far greater emphasis must be placed on general awareness raising activities such as speaker nights and seminars. As the client base develops the emphasis quite naturally turns to dealing more with the issues of individual clients through individual, family and group counselling activities.

3.4 Determinants of The Service Activity Mix

A range of factors impacts on decisions about the service activity mix. Many of the service workers interviewed during the community case studies thought that, ideally, a men’s service should offer a variety of activities rather than focus on any one particular activity. Similarly, some managers and service workers indicated in the survey that having a single focus could limit the appeal of the service for some men, and that it is better to be able to offer a range of entry points.

However, some men’s services have found that demand for a particular type of activity in their region is a major determinant of the type of service they offer. Several men’s service workers have commented that they could easily fill their books with clients for individual counselling.

The perception of referral agencies, and the types of clients they refer, will also impact on service activities. Given that the pilots are often the only specific men’s service in the region, demand for a particular type of service (for example, crisis counselling, groups for violent men, groups for separated men) can make the provision of a balance of service activities difficult.

The impact of community development/awareness activities

According to the organisational survey, community development/awareness activities are currently being undertaken by 70 per cent of the men’s services. For some agencies these types of activities are geared towards raising the awareness of the community around men’s issues and are not necessarily intended to increase client numbers.

Other agencies use community development activities to generate client referrals. However, such activity can have its down sides in a pilot service with typically few staff employed. It can be very difficult to judge just how much interest is likely to be generated by community awareness activities. Some agencies spoke of the dilemma of creating a level of demand which was more than they were resourced to service. However, they needed to undertake the activity to access a sufficient number of clients.

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3.5 General Principles of Effective Service Delivery

A key objective of this evaluation is to examine and report on effective strategies for relationship service delivery to men. This section presents some general principles, key learnings and some specific strategies around what works and what does not work in providing relationship services to men.

It is not the function of this evaluation to advise on specific clinical practices, nor to establish whether a particular theoretical framework in working with men is better than any other. It is also important to note here, as many service workers have pointed out through face-to-face discussion and through the surveys, that a key element of high quality service provision is the ability to respond to the needs of the individual client. Many cautioned about making assumptions about ‘men’s needs’, as though all men had the same issues and would respond to the same strategies. Individual differences amongst men will mean that some methods are more suitable than others for particular clients.

In the second survey the managers and men’s service workers were each invited to indicate, in their own words, what they felt really worked in delivering services to men. The opinions of the managers and the men’s service workers displayed a large degree of commonality along with a few areas of difference, no doubt a reflection in part of the different functions and therefore differing perceptions of each group. Interestingly, some of the issues which service workers were keen to stress as key issues during the case studies, for example the need for a positive approach and language, have been given lesser prominence (10 per cent) in the survey by the service workers and the highest prominence (49 per cent) by the managers. It seems most likely that a service which combines all of the elements mentioned below will be highly successful in service delivery.

* Multiple responses were allowed.
Source: Second organisational survey, May 2002.

Another element of effective service delivery is knowing what definitely does not work and avoiding these potential pitfalls. Both service workers and managers consider that being patronising, portraying the worker as the expert, and making assumptions about the needs of men are the highest on the list of negative approaches.

The issue of men feeling as thought they will be judged by the workers and/or being seen as ‘problems’ which need fixing has came through very strongly during the community case studies, from service workers and from clients. It is clear that this is one of the issues about which many men require reassurance before they will accept support.

* Multiple responses were allowed.
Source: Second organisational survey, May 2002.

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A strength based approach

Many service workers and managers have spoken of the importance of adopting a strength based approach in working with men. This means concentrating on the strengths of the men, not focusing on their deficits or weaknesses. For example, talking to men about the skills they already have in caring and providing for their children will make them more receptive to making improvements than an approach which implies that they have been ‘getting it all wrong’, or that they are somehow inadequate as fathers.

Utilising a strength based approach is considered to be not only a respectful way of dealing with clients, but necessary for a service to secure the trust of male clients. Many men would simply not continue with a service if they felt that they were being judged, or if they felt that the worker saw them as a problem that needed fixing.

A male-friendly style

Many of the service workers and managers consulted during the community case studies indicated that they adopted a male-friendly style. This can mean different things to different people; however it was often explained as taking a less formal approach, and dealing with the client on equal terms. The language of engagement may also need modifying. Many of the service workers have been conscious to avoid the ‘worker as expert’ style, reasoning that their male clients do not respond well if they perceive that they are being told what to do, or if they feel patronised by a worker who purports to know best.

Flexible—able to respond to individual needs

Flexibility, or the capacity to respond to individual needs, is also widely considered to be a key element of effective service provision. Service workers have identified the importance of understanding where the man is at, and working from there.

The particular issues of the client, as well as their background, have implications for the most appropriate way of working with the client. For many separated men, a male only group with male facilitators will be the best approach. Both service workers and clients of these groups have explained that they would not have been able to have the open discussion they had if women were present. For other men, the inclusion of a partner in counselling, or the presence of women in a group, may be more appropriate to their situation. Separated men who have moved through the early, difficult stages of separation, have found it beneficial to participate in mixed gender groups, which focus on communication and ‘moving on’.

Linking with ongoing services

In many cases it is important to consider what other services are available for the clients to be linked into, beyond the initial assistance. Men who have been engaged by the services are often looking for further support or information. For some of these men, the initial assistance can be just the beginning. Depending on the host organisation, the service may be able to link men with other programs in their organisation. For example, one of the counselling agencies developed a mixed gender group program for their male and female clients who were looking for some ongoing support, beyond the initial assistance provided.

Ongoing assistance which is appropriate to the needs of the clients may not be available within the host agency. In these cases it is important for the service workers to be aware of other services within their region, or to be able to point the men in the direction of further information should they be seeking it.

3.6 Strategies for Working with Individual Men

Many of the funded services provide counselling to individual men and to couples. There is some difference of opinion among men’s workers of the benefits of counselling for men and the extent to which men will be attracted to counselling as means of support. For some this is a matter of terminology. Whilst they provide individualised support to men, which many would call counselling, these workers avoid using the term counselling because they believe it will have negative connotations for many men. Some workers provide a modified form of counselling, which they describe as being less formal.

On the other hand, the evaluation has canvassed the views of many men who have been clients of counselling services. These clients have found the service to be very beneficial and they seemed willing enough to speak of their ‘counsellor’.

Many services have found certain strategies to be particularly effective with their male clients. This is not to suggest however that these will be suited to all men. Whatever the theoretical approach adopted, the skill of the individual counsellor is paramount. A skilled counsellor is able to draw on a range of approaches, depending on the needs of the individual man.

Being solutions oriented

Services have found that helping men to identify specific goals and strategies for effectively dealing with situations and problems often works well. This is generally considered to be more effective than ‘just talking about feelings’. This is not to suggest that men do not or will not talk about their feelings, but it is perhaps more a matter of emphasis, or making explicit that the purpose of the counselling is seen as moving towards resolution, or identifying solutions. Using a solutions oriented approach does not preclude helping clients move beyond the initial presentation ‘problem’ when appropriate.

Using practical methods

Some service workers advocate the use of diagrams and illustrations to help make discussions around emotions and feelings more concrete for men. Role-plays have also proved very useful for young school-aged men. One service has found white boards to be so useful that one is now available in every counselling room.

Providing men with specific tasks to work on between counselling sessions can give them a sense of making progress and of having some control over their situation. Some service workers have found the use of a written action plan to be particularly effective since it provides a structure and a tangible way for the men to see how and where they are going.

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Using appropriate language

Research 6 has shown that men believe counsellors will take sides against them and that men can also feel uncomfortable with the language and modes of communication traditionally used in counselling.

Services have needed to pay particular attention to the language they use; not just in the promotional material but also in the way they speak with their male clients. In encouraging men to engage in the counselling process the men’s service workers are careful to use language that is non-threatening. They will say things like ‘come in for a chat’ or ‘let’s have a talk about some options for you’ in the way they present their services to clients. As discussed previously some service workers avoid the word counselling since they believe some men see it as a label for having something wrong with them. One service worker quoted as an example, a man who had been ‘coming in for a chat’ for a while. This man displayed a strong reaction to the inadvertent mention of the next ‘counselling’ appointment - ‘What’s this counselling? I’m not crazy you know, I just need to talk to someone’ was his response. What is considered appropriate is strongly driven by the client’s cultural background. For example in many ethnic communities the word ‘counselling’ does not even exist. For some cultures this type of support is usually provided through the extended family, and the notion of getting counselling on family matters from someone outside the family is foreign.

Clients have made it abundantly clear that it is very important to them that they do not feel judged by the service workers. This can be a difficult balancing act at times. Some men will be looking for reassurance from the service worker as to the ‘rightness’ of their particular stance. It requires considerable professional skills to be able to engage with such men in positive ways without colluding in condoning inappropriate behaviour.

3.7 Strategies for Working with Men in Groups

The case studies indicate that many men are reluctant to come to groups as the initial form of contact. This has largely to do with the fear of looking foolish to others - the loss of face. Often they will only consider going to groups after a few counselling sessions. By this time they will have realised that they will not be judged by the group worker and will feel sufficiently secure to consider the benefits of participation.

Services working with mixed gender groups, such as relationship enhancement or parenting courses, have found it effective, after the initial introductory session to break into two groups - one for men and one for women - so that they can discuss their particular issues. Then, the groups can be brought back together again to hear the perspective of the other.

Once men have become engaged in group work, services have found this to be a highly effective way of dealing with client issues. The skill of the facilitator is paramount in establishing an atmosphere of trust and confidentiality. Once the men feel safe, they will open up and talk about their issues in the group. This process of talking with other men, and hearing the stories of other men who have experienced similar things, appears to be the most important element of the group work. Whilst the content is certainly important, many service workers would say that it is the process that counts.

The selection of quotes below is typical of comments made during discussions with clients and through the surveys in response to questions about the benefits of group work.

Those men who are newly separated and who are sometimes in a state of crisis are often more open to the idea of group work, although many service workers have indicated that they are more successfully engaging with separated men through parenting issues. The group process has been found to be particularly beneficial for separated men, who are often feeling isolated and in great need of support.

An important benefit of group work is that men are encouraged to establish support networks outside the service. There were many examples of men keeping in contact with each other after the group had finished. Some men have established their own support groups following their participation in a more structured group process.

One of the difficulties with groups is the level of resourcing required in the set up phase. Promoting, networking and ringing up men to encourage attendance all takes time and a reasonably high level of administrative support.

Being able to offer groups at the time when the men need them can be difficult. For example, a mediator who spoke very highly of groups for separated men offered by one men’s service, stressed that timeliness was crucial; opportunities are often lost if a group is not available within a couple of weeks.

A service in a regional area uses a model of ‘rolling groups’ as a means for providing timely support to men. The men’s service worker has linked in with an existing men’s support group, which had been operating in the community for some time before the existence of the men’s service. They have established a structured eight week group program for men, which as well as being a stand alone program also functions as an intake to the ongoing support group. In situations when a man needs some immediate support but has to wait for the structured program, he can attend the support group initially and then go through the structured program when the next one is running.

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3.8 Community Education and Development

Many of the services have undertaken community education activities. These generally have the objective of raising awareness of men’s issues in the broader community, and can also be an effective mechanism for marketing the men’s services.

For a couple of the pilot services, community development is the major focus of their work, and the underlying philosophy behind their approach. These services aim to work with the existing structures, groups and individuals within the community to improve awareness of men’s issues, and to facilitate the development of skills and knowledge among those professionals who work with men. One service worker described it as a grass roots type approach, which recognises what already exists within the community and seeks to empower men to create change for themselves.

It is clear from the community case studies that workers in other services see the men’s services as a specialised area - that is, the men’s service workers are seen as having greater expertise in working with men than is normally found in general social welfare services. Those services providing education and support for other professionals outside the men’s service have found them to be very receptive to the services which have been provided.

Given the views of other workers on the need for specialist knowledge about men’s issues, it also seems unlikely that much community education and development activity will take place around men’s issues without the direct intervention of the men’s services.

3.9 Cultural Appropriateness

The cultural background of the client has a strong bearing on what methods may be most appropriate for working with particular men. Those services working with Indigenous men and men from non-English speaking backgrounds are very much guided by culture in their choice of services and the ways in which those services are delivered.

One service working with both Arabic and Chinese men uses quite different methods with their two target groups. For the Arabic men, gender specific activities are a normal feature of their culture, so providing services for the men only is quite natural within the community. However, among the Chinese community a culturally appropriate service needs to be inclusive of all family members, often including the grand parents as well. It would be considered quite inappropriate to provide activities specifically for men.

Services working with Indigenous men also adopt practices which are appropriate to the culture of their clients. One organisation provides outreach services to men living in remote communities, with the approach more along a community development model than working with individual men. Another service working with Indigenous men in a metropolitan area is engaged exclusively in counselling. Indigenous counsellors are adapting many of the more traditional counselling approaches to suit their clients.

Identifying a conduit to the target group

With services targeted to specific groups it is necessary to network within the community of the specific group. To do this, the more successful services, in the beginning at least, have opted to employ someone belonging to the target group as the conduit to the community.

This conduit need not be an experienced counsellor, social worker or psychologist. The purpose of employing the person is to be the ‘legitimiser’ of the service. It is important for the community to be able to see that the service understands their particular circumstances - he’s young, middle-aged, Aboriginal, gay, Greek, like me, so there’s a fair chance the service will understand my background and issues, where I’m coming from.

The person employed as the conduit to the community does not need to meet every criteria of the group, just be able to connect with a source of identification. For example, as a generalisation, young men will often be happy with older men/women because they expect them to have considerable life skills to offer, but they need reassurance that they will also have an understanding of the issues of youth. The fact that a young, ‘hip’ worker is obvious around the service will often provide that reassurance. In a similar vein, older men may well be happy with a young man/woman if they can mirror some part of their own background, for example, class, style of being or ethnicity.

Several services are successfully using a model for group work which utilises a member of the community as a co-facilitator, alongside the professional men’s worker. The advantage of this model is that it provides the participants with someone the men can relate to - an ordinary bloke, who has been through similar difficulties. This can be particularly powerful when the men may have a resistance to so called ‘experts’. Also, the combined expertise of the professional and the practical wisdom offered by the community member can be extremely beneficial to the group.

The approaches outlined above recognise that finding all the skills and attributes in a single worker can be extremely difficult, and often impossible if the service is located in a rural or remote area where recruiting qualified men’s workers can be highly problematic.

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3.10 Strategies for Delivering Services to Men in the Workplace

Men in the workplace were identified as a potential target group by quite a few services in the initial funding application stage. These services identified the workplace as providing an opportunity to access a larger number and potentially a broader range of men than they might access through more traditional means.

The community case studies revealed that a minority of these services have been successful in accessing men in the workplace. In contrast, a number of the services have found that workplaces can be difficult to ‘crack’ and difficult to sustain. The successful services were characterised by appropriate marketing strategies, staff who are able to communicate effectively in the business world, careful choice of businesses to approach, and considerable up front and sustained effort. It appears that the workplace can be a good vehicle to successfully engage men but it is an activity that is not appropriate to all services.

Clearly defined objectives/rationale

For those providing services in the workplace it is particularly important that the objective and rationale of the intervention - and hence the target group for assistance - be very carefully thought through. If the objective is to provide counselling to a target group of men in the workplace who are in a crisis situation, then workplace intervention may well be appropriate and hence cost effective. Also if the intervention is focused on a clearly defined issue, such as balancing work and family life, it is more likely to be successful. However, if the objective is more generalist - that is, a broad program to enhance men’s capacity for achieving and sustaining quality family relationships through information, education and/or skills development - then the target group in the workplace can be very diffuse and may not result in the desired outcomes.

The rationale for engaging the ‘average man’ (who is not in a crisis) in the workplace with skills development and education programs is not clear. This may be a worthwhile process; however, there appears to be an implicit suggestion that just because men are men they are in need of skills training or input of some kind to be more effective in their relationships and family life. Service providers will need to weigh up the potential benefits of such intervention against the provision of assistance to others who may be in greater need.

The ‘fit’ between the organisation, the men’s service and the business world

Not all organisations nor all staff within an organisation will be suitable for delivering work based programs. Conversely, not all businesses will be ready to implement a work based men’s program. It is important for each organisation to consider how well the chosen business and the men’s service will be able to operate together.

Some of the larger business proprietors interviewed have indicated that they would be extremely wary about working with organisations with a clear affiliation with a particular religion. They pointed out that their staff were from many and varied backgrounds and that the management did not want to be seen as singling out any particular religious organisation over any other.

The business managers interviewed as part of this evaluation have indicated that they took on particular organisations because of their business-like approach. They indicated that this included a professional approach/presentation, prompt turn around times for enquiries, and development of seminars/services, and a general ‘no problem’ or ‘can do’ approach. Businesses are not interested in services that are going to become a burden on their own resources. It is important for an organisation to carefully consider whether they really do have the capacity to develop and deliver a professional result within the tight time frames often demanded by business.

Business time frames are also not necessarily conducive to efficient staff management within some men’s service organisations. Some of the men’s services have abandoned approaching businesses because they found they had to choose between responding to another need in the community, for example groups for separated men, and waiting for it to be the right time for businesses they had approached. Ratcheting up staff and resources to meet business timetables had simply proved too difficult for them without a considerable increase in administrative resources.

The right staff/creating partnerships

Another important consideration is whether the organisation has or can acquire the appropriate staff. Staff with a business background, people who are able to understand and communicate well with the business world, are the ideal. If such staff are not available the organisation may consider seeking a partnership with, say, an academic organisation which can provide the service with the business or academic credibility to gain the attention of workplaces.

Choosing the right business

The findings also suggest that there are certain preconditions for business to be open to the opportunities offered by a men’s service in the workplace. The most successful alliances have been with companies whose management (human resources, diversity, or chief executive officer) already has some positive experience with counselling services or other staff support programs. Convincing a company which has up until now resisted such services will be a considerably more difficult task, though not impossible, if the management is interested in the research suggesting significant productivity gains can be made.

Men’s services have found that larger companies are necessary to provide sufficient numbers of men who may be interested in attending seminars. Companies with an existing and well managed employer assistance program may be reluctant to make any additional investment of either time or resources, reasoning that what is being offered could well be done by the existing service.

Some men’s services have experienced resistance from companies with a mixed gender workforce. These companies have suggested that they are not comfortable with a men only program. To date, most of the men’s services have stayed with the philosophy of men only, except where there are a relatively small number of women in the workforce and they can be easily included in the proceedings. Companies with a largely male workforce are an obvious target provided they are open to the idea of counselling/education programs.

Companies which have equity or diversity programs in place can be very interested in a men only program, arguing that in the past they have concentrated on women and people of non-English speaking background. The provision of a men only program in these circumstances can be seen in some ways as redressing the balance.

6. Donovan Report 1988, Department of Family and Community Services.

4. Attracting men to the service 

• 4.1 Finding a positive connection
• 4.2 Making services accessible
• 4.3 Marketing the services
• 4.4 Marketing to workplaces - getting a foot in the door

This chapter examines methods and models of attracting men to the men’s services which have been found to be most effective during the pilot phase.

It is well recognised among those working with men that ‘getting them in the door’ is one of biggest challenges for services. A major focus of the work of the men’s services is therefore to attract male clients. This differentiates men’s services from many other social welfare service providers, when the approach to accessing clients is often relatively passive, utilising low key, general advertising, with services being provided to those people who come through the door. Organisations attempting to engage with men have found that more entrepreneurial and innovative approaches are called for.

The level of effort required to attract men varies, depending on the types of activity that the service wishes to provide and the target group for the service. Those men’s services offering counselling have mostly found no shortage of clients, who by and large are men in crisis. It appears to be much more difficult to attract men to group work, or to any activities that seek to engage with men in a more proactive way -  that is, before they are in crisis.

4.1 Finding a positive connection

Identifying a positive aspect of men’s experience is an important principle for attracting men to the services. Those services working with new dads, for example, are able to capitalise on the fact that this is a significant and largely positive time in a man’s life. These new dads see the provision of information and skills development related to fathering as highly relevant to their current situation. Services working with new fathers have had very positive responses from the men, their partners, and professionals working in post natal and ante natal services.

Those services attempting to attract separated men to group programs arguably have a more difficult message to sell, but again, the key is to find a positive connection. One service, working with separated men, initially experienced considerable difficulty in attracting sufficient numbers of men to a group. Looking more closely at the research and at their own experiences in working with separated and separating men, the service decided to focus on fathering. The reason for this is that one of the most significant concerns for separated men is their relationship with their children. The service began marketing the group as ‘fathering after separation’. The content of the group was not substantially altered, and continued to deal with a whole range of issues around separation. However the marketing emphasis was on fathering rather than the welfare of the individual man. The service has found that once the men are there, and a relationship of trust has been established within the group, the men are very willing to open up and share their experiences, not just about fathering but also their feelings about separation. The new marketing angle made a difference and has increased the number of men coming to the groups.

An important aspect of the positive connection is that it can help men to feel okay about getting support. Men’s workers have commented that many men are afraid of a ‘loss of face’. They think that getting support or assistance is an acknowledgement of weakness. Here is what one worker had to say:

There are also several examples of the poor results generally received when no positive connection is employed. One service attempting to run groups with long term unemployed men experienced great difficulty attracting their target group. The service identified this group of men as being highly vulnerable to family conflict as a result of their unemployed status and likely financial difficulties. They tried to convey a message of support through their promotional material: the groups would offer men an opportunity for social contact and the support of other men in similar situations. However, in attempting to convey this message the marketing material had tapped into the negative aspects of these men’s experiences—unemployed, isolated, experiencing family conflict—and this almost certainly played a major part in putting the men off. Other services which have unwittingly emphasised negative rather than positive aspects in advertising courses or groups have experienced similarly disappointing response rates.

Quite a few services have come to realise the power of the fathering connection to attract men. This is because the services recognise that concern for the welfare of children and the desire to maintain or achieve positive relationships with children are highly important issues for many men, and can be particularly so for separated and separating men.

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4.2 Making services accessible

Accessibility of the service is another important issue for those seeking to engage with men. Many of the pilot services are offering services outside standard business hours, and are also taking their services out into the community in an effort to be accessible to more men.

Going to where the men are

A key strategy for engaging with men is to identify and make use of those places that men go to, instead of or in addition to having men come to the premises of an organisation. Services have employed this strategy for reasons of cultural appropriateness and also because it enables them to access greater numbers of men, including those who would typically avoid support/welfare agencies.

Those working with Indigenous men have travelled to remote communities to meet with the men, and have also provided services in places where they believe their clients will feel more at ease, such as homes and informal outdoor spaces. A service working with Arabic men has found that seminars conducted at the mosque have been very well attended. The men’s worker has arranged for the seminars to be conducted straight after prayer sessions, and because the men are already there many of them stay on for the seminar. A service working with Chinese men has found a very innovative way to access their clients. The Chinese worker had observed that many fathers took their children to Chinese language classes on the weekend and that the men typically waited around for their children to finish. The men’s worker set up a series of parenting seminars to be run at the same venue where the children were attending classes. The men were already there, and had the time to spare, so the seminars proved to be popular.

Hours of service delivery

Given that a large proportion of both men and women are now in the workforce and predominantly working standard business hours, all services that are interested in engaging with these target groups need to be able to offer at least some after hours service. Services which operate on a weekday, business hours basis are probably only easily accessible by people who are at home during the day, most of whom will be parents - usually women - with child care responsibilities. This is undoubtedly a major reason that men (and working women) do not see these services as being for them.

Providing services that are accessible to working men will necessarily involve a lot of work outside standard business hours. A reasonable amount of counselling appears to be accommodated during the working day since the sessions are usually only for 45 minutes to an hour once a week. However, group activities and community development activities invariably need to be conducted in the evenings or on weekends. Only two (5 per cent) of the organisations reported in the survey that they operate solely within business hours. More than half (60 per cent of services) reported that their service provision was mostly during business hours, and 21 per cent of services reported working mostly or all after business hours (see Table 4.2).

The requirement for after hours work clearly presents issues around the health and well being of the staff and their families. In services with just one worker employed these stresses are exacerbated.

Choice of venues

Whilst almost all services (89 per cent) deliver some services on site, they also utilise a huge variety of other venues. This is another example of the search for innovation in delivering services to men.

Community venues are used by 86 per cent of services, and 76 per cent cite the telephone as a mechanism for service delivery (see Table 4.2 below). Data from the community case studies indicates that service workers are providing support over the phone in particular situations, such as for a client who may need some support in between counselling sessions, or for follow up with group work participants.

* Multiple responses were allowed.

A male-friendly space

Most organisations provide at least some of their services on the premises, so the physical set up and general atmosphere are important considerations. An environment which is welcoming and offers privacy can go a long way to helping the clients to feel at ease, particularly those men who are anxiously attending a service for the first time. Men frequently mentioned such things as a friendly greeting and being made to feel welcome as important factors in their overall experience of the service.

In terms of the physical set up, décor which is relatively neutral or at least not overtly feminine is best. Waiting rooms, entranceways and off-street parking are important considerations in terms of privacy.

Location can be an important issue in terms of privacy and confidentiality. Men need to feel comfortable walking into the building. One service located in a regional area had avoided the potential problems of client privacy by being located in a building which also housed a range of other services. The men’s service was located in the town’s CBD which could have been a problem for men concerned about being seen by people they knew. However, because it was part of an office block a man could be entering the building for any number of reasons. Staff of the service were convinced that the anonymity afforded by the location was very important to their male clients.

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4.3 Marketing the services

A variety of innovative marketing approaches have been trialed by many of the services. As well as the more standard forms of advertising such the local paper and radio, services are undertaking extensive networking, staging special events and getting endorsements from key people to get their message across and raise the profile of their service. Services attempting to engage with men in the workplace need to pay particular attention to marketing.

Current sources of clients

An understanding of where clients are coming from provides useful information for marketing. As shown in Table 4.3 below, word of mouth has become a significant source of clients for many services. In the second survey, 30 per cent of organisations cited word of mouth as their major source of clients, up from 18 per cent in the first survey. Some 92 per cent of organisations reported word of mouth as one of their client sources in the second survey, whereas only 34 per cent reported this in the first survey. Referral from other agencies and the host agency was less frequently cited as the major source of referrals in the second survey, although these continue to be sources of referral for the majority of services.

* Multiple responses were given by some respondents so totals do not equal number of respondents.

Given that the pilot services were relatively new at the time of the first survey, it is not surprising that word of mouth was less often cited as a client source than it was at the time of the second survey. Nevertheless the findings indicate that as more men attend the men’s services, they are telling their friends and family members about it. Findings from the client survey clearly support this view.

Findings from the community case studies show that one of the major sources of recruitment to groups is through internal referral. It is more difficult to attract men from the community to groups if they do not already have some connection with the service.

Word of mouth

Word of mouth has played a significant part in building awareness of the men’s services. Recommendations from clients can play an important role in developing a service’s reputation. Findings from the client survey indicate that men are telling others about the services. Some 44 per cent of clients say that they have already recommended the men’s service to a family member or friend, and another 55 per cent say that they would recommend the service.

One service in a rural town found that word of mouth had spread so quickly that they were inundated almost from the beginning with men coming for counselling. Given a relatively macho culture amongst the men of the town they had expected to have to put in a lot more work up front. Clearly, some satisfied early clients had spread the word.

For many other services, word of mouth has built more slowly, and the effects are seen over the longer term. Many services are finding that after running a specific course two or three times, sometimes with disappointing numbers of participants, they begin to experience spontaneous phone calls from men enquiring about the course. This is after the marketing for the course has ceased and is clearly an effect of word of mouth recommendations from participants and their families.

The findings from the client survey and the community case studies both indicate that men are readily telling other men about the services. Provided the services are of high quality, this is likely to result in an increase in the client base over time.

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Networking

A consistent feature of the men’s services has been the extensive networking with other agencies. Typically, other service providers have responded with enthusiasm, and even relief, at having a men’s service in the region. ‘Now there is somewhere to refer the men’ has been a common reaction. The networking has resulted in high levels of awareness of the men’s services, and consequently high levels of referrals from other service providers.

Services working with Indigenous men and men from different cultural backgrounds need to do extensive networking in those communities. Quite often this involves seeking out people holding key positions within the community, establishing a relationship, and gaining their support, as ways in to the community. This process often takes some time, and applies equally for a worker who belongs to that community.

Networking does not appear to be so strong with doctors and solicitors. Given the levels of contact they have with separated men and men suffering depression and other psychological/emotional problems, these groups of professionals are potentially a significant source of referrals. Some clients who responded to the survey have specifically suggested putting information about men’s services into doctors’ surgeries.

The business world is also one where strategic networking offers the potential for services to access a large number of men. However, this appears to be an area where services have struggled to find a way in. Being able to demonstrate that what the services are offering makes good business sense is essential. A couple of the pilot services have had more success in this area. Their strategies are discussed below.

Brochures and posters

The written word via brochures, flyers, handouts and posters is a tried and true method of informing prospective clients. Pilot services have discovered that there are also innovative ways of delivering information using these media which are more effective in attracting male clients.

Services are aware that some men are quite embarrassed about the prospect of seeking help for a problem. Hence, services are using small, pocket sized brochures so that men can pick them up and palm them into front or back pockets for reading in private later.

In keeping with the concept of a positive connection as outlined earlier, the use of positive language in promotional material is also a key to effectively attracting men. The use of words like ‘better’, ‘improve’ or ‘enhance’ can have negative implications. Such words might imply that things are not as good as they could be, or that there is a problem that needs fixing. As one service worker pointed out, how many people would feel comfortable going to a seminar which promised ‘an improved sex life’? The implication is that your own sex life is not so good and that all the people at the seminar are in the same boat. Contrast that with the use of words such as ‘exploring human sexuality’. This has much more of a feel of ‘everything’s currently okay, but who couldn’t do with a little more information?’, and hence is more likely to make participants feel comfortable about attending.

Special events

A popular model of creating community awareness of the men’s service is to organise a relatively large-scale special event. These are often run in conjunction with other services in the region. These activities also provide an opportunity to focus community attention on men and their needs. For example, one service in a regional area where rural field days were the norm put on a weekend event called Men’s Field Days. This event attracted a lot of men and their families and gave the service a profile in the community.

Family events which emphasise fathers’ participation and feature children’s favourites such as Bananas in Pyjamas or the Wiggles have also been mooted as ways of raising the profile of men’s services.

Apart from organising an activity themselves, some services have sought out opportunities to have a presence at existing events. They have set up stalls, displays and photo competitions at externally organised fathers’ day events, local shows and the like. Inviting men to participate in a survey at these events is an excellent method of simultaneously giving the men an ‘excuse’ for talking with the service worker, raising awareness of men’s issues in the community, and undertaking a needs assessment to assist in the planning of the service. This model has been adopted by several services with very good results.

Endorsements by key figures

Endorsement of the service by key people has proved to be a highly effective promotional tool for some services. One service organised, in collaboration with other service providers, for HG Nelson to chair a men’s forum in the town. The forum attracted a lot of local men, giving the service an opportunity to get men’s issues on the community agenda, and also enabling them to hear from the men themselves about local needs and issues. Other services have had similar success through endorsements at seminars by prominent sporting identities.

The endorsement of key community members can often be just as effective. One service wanting to run groups for older men asked the local Lions Club president to say something about the service. Since he is a respected member of their community, his recommendation prompted a number of the men to sign up on the spot.

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4.4 Marketing to workplaces—getting a foot in the door

An effective marketing approach is critical to getting a ‘foot in the door’. Businesses need to be convinced that the proposed service will make a difference for them. Being able to demonstrate early successes with other workplaces will go a long way towards establishing credibility. Presenting easily digestible facts and figures from relevant research can be an effective way to gain attention. Those organisations which have successfully engaged with business appear to have by and large ‘piggy backed’ their way into the business via a personal or professional lead (‘I already knew the HR manager’; ‘I play golf with one of the executives’; ‘My partner works in the company’), a fashionable business issue (work/life balance, stress created by long working hours), or an opportunistic situation (a regional pilot on health in the workplace). Cold canvassing of businesses, especially for the initial foray into the workplace, appears to have very limited success rates.

Doing the research, ‘pushing the right buttons’

A key aspect of the marketing approach is being able to demonstrate an understanding of the needs of business. There is a deal of current research pointing out the positive impact that a contented workforce can have on productivity and hence on the all important ‘bottom line’ for business. When appropriate, these research data can be a strong inducement to business. However, it is clear that it is also crucial for the organisation to sit down with the business and discuss their particular needs and potential solutions. Before getting to this stage, the service will need to have done some background research on the company. One men’s worker who has been having some success in the workplace pointed out that some businesses like to be able to demonstrate that they are doing the right thing by their employees - it helps in their marketing and recruitment practices. It is worth knowing the background of a business to know which ‘buttons to push’.

Costing the product

Services have found the costing of their products/programs within a business environment to be quite vexing at times. Services which are used to a target group that more often than not cannot afford to pay market price for individual counselling find it difficult to determine the market price of a service to business.

The skill is in pricing the product so that it is attractive, but still will be taken seriously by the business. Too high a price and it will be very difficult to sell. Conversely, too low a price and it may not be taken seriously. Anything that has too much of a ‘welfare’ look to it will not appeal to many businesses. That is why the successful services have emphasised the need to present a completely professional approach to the business, from the business suit if necessary to Powerpoint presentations and glossy brochures. All of this costs money, but businesses are aware of that and are usually prepared to pay for a professional product. Although there are no clear guidelines on pricing it is evident that a very low price is not of itself a sufficient incentive.

However, businesses by and large are also reluctant to pay for something that is unproven. Hence one service has found the concept of the free trial to be very useful. They have full confidence in their product and feel they can afford to run the program in a trial format to prove its popularity and worth to the company.

The free trial can also provide a means of convincing other businesses. Once one company has trialed the product and found it successful, they may well be prepared to recommend it to their colleagues in other businesses. As in many endeavours, word of mouth is a very powerful marketing tool.

5. Impact on the host organisation 

• 5.1 Support for the men’s service within the host organisation
• 5.2 Areas of impact on the host organisation
• 5.3 Impact on other service workers
• 5.4 Impact on the external environment

This chapter examines the ways in which the men’s services have influenced their host organisations, and also highlights some of the ways in which the services have impacted on other agencies.

The data in this chapter are taken from:

• the community case studies;
• the first (early) organisational survey of managers, men’s service workers, and other service workers not directly involved with the men’s services; and
• the second (longitudinal) organisational survey of managers and men’s service workers, conducted around 12 months after the early survey.

To minimise confusion when comparing across manager and service worker responses and between the early and longitudinal organisational survey, percentages only are provided in most of the tables in this chapter.

5.1 Support for the men’s service within the host organisation

Findings from the survey and the case studies show a consistently high level of support for the men’s services within their host organisations. The community case studies and the two longitudinal organisational surveys revealed a great deal of enthusiasm for the men’s service. The concept of a service specifically for men has been widely welcomed by managers, other service workers within the host organisation, and service workers in other organisations.

All of the managers described their organisation in the early survey as supportive of the men’s service. All but one of the men’s service workers described their host organisation as supportive; the other described it as neutral.

Organisations have supported the services by making considerable physical changes to their set-up. These have varied from adding men’s magazines and posters to the waiting rooms to completely re-organising their child contact areas to make them more supportive of fathers when accessing their children.

5.2 Areas of impact on the host organisation

It became very clear during the community case studies that the existence of the men’s services had created significant change within many of the organisations hosting them. The issue of the nature and extent of that impact was canvassed in the two organisational surveys. The first survey was intended to capture early impressions and determine the type of changes which could be expected in the (often) highly enthusiastic early days of the pilot services. The second survey was intended to capture changes over time as the services matured.

Early impressions

Managers of the host organisations were asked in the first organisational survey to describe in their own words what, if anything, they felt had changed in their organisation as a result of the men’s service. All of the managers indicated that the organisation had changed for the better as a result of the men’s service. The most frequently cited change was a greater awareness within the organisation of men’s issues and needs (50 per cent). Many highlighted changes in targeting programs towards men (32 per cent) and the fact that the organisation had become more inclusive of all family members, not only the women and children (23 per cent).

* Multiple responses were allowed.

Men’s service workers were also asked in the early survey to describe what, if any, changes they had observed in their organisation as a result of the men’s service. They indicated that the increased awareness of men’s issues and needs was the greatest perceived change (37 per cent). The organisation becoming more inclusive (28 per cent), and the more positive attitude of staff in the organisation (24 per cent) were also commonly cited.

* Multiple responses were allowed.

Other service workers—those who are employed by the host organisation, but have no direct involvement with the men’s service - also considered that the men’s service had an effect on their organisation. These workers, with their perspective as interested ‘outsiders’, mostly indicated that the organisation had become much more inclusive (49 per cent) and that the organisation had become more aware of men’s issues and needs (36 per cent), as well as actually accessing and offering services to more men (36 per cent). For details see Appendix B.

During the community case studies, host organisation staff were keen to describe how the existence of the men’s service had resulted in significant changes to their practices through a greater awareness of men’s needs. Below is one example.

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Longer term impacts on host organisations

In the second, longitudinal organisational survey, managers and men’s service workers were asked to comment on the extent to which they believed the men’s services had influenced particular aspects of the organisation. (There is a variety of numbers of service workers in different organisations and this has the potential to create a response bias; therefore, the response of the longest serving men’s worker in each service has been chosen for reporting purposes.)

Overall it is clear that managers and men’s service workers believe the men’s services have significantly influenced their host organisations. The areas where managers and men’s service workers both believed that the men’s service had been of the greatest major influence were service delivery and staff attitudes. The areas that they believed had been of least influence were staff training and staff selection. Even in these areas, over 70 per cent of managers and men’s service workers believe there has been some influence.

In the area of service delivery, 98 per cent of managers and 100 per cent of men’s service workers believed the men’s service had influenced the host organisation. Over a third of both managers and service workers reported the men’s service had a major influence on service delivery in their organisation.

* Response of the longest serving men’s worker in each service.

Managers and men’s service workers had somewhat different impressions of the influence of the men’s service on staff attitudes, with men’s service workers reporting more of an influence here. However, for both groups, a high proportion viewed the men’s service as having a major influence on staff attitudes.

* Response of the longest serving men’s worker in each service.

A key area of potential influence for the men’s services is the overall philosophy of the organisation. Some 86 per cent of managers believed that the men’s service had influenced the organisation’s overall philosophy, with 23 per cent believing it had been a major influence. Around the same percentage of men’s service workers (88 per cent) considered there had been an influence on the overall philosophy of the organisation.

* Response of the longest serving men’s worker in each service.

The men’s services have also had an influence on the advertising and marketing methods of the host organisation, with 92 per cent of managers and 86 per cent of men’s service workers acknowledging that it had some influence.

* Response of the longest serving men’s worker in each service.

A relatively lower proportion of managers and service workers reported that the men’s service had been a major influence on staff training. The area of training in working with men is one which has been identified as requiring attention throughout the evaluation processes.

* Response of the longest serving men’s worker in each service.

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Only managers were asked about influences on staff selection as it was considered that not all men’s service workers would be involved in staff selection. Overall, 73 per cent of managers believed there had been some influence from the men’s service, and 23 per cent indicated that it had been a major influence.

5.3 Impact on other service workers

In the early organisational survey, staff of the host organisations who were not part of the men’s service were asked to indicate the type of involvement that they have with the service.

Data from the community case studies and the early organisational survey indicate a high level of contact between the men’s workers and other service workers. Much of this is through an informal process, although there is also a high level of client referrals.

Assistance with other clients

Almost all of the other service workers surveyed thought that the men’s service helped them in dealing with their own clients in some way. Over three-quarters (79 per cent) considered that it had helped a great deal; another 14 per cent considered that it helped a little.

In the community case studies, staff of the host organisations commented on the positive benefits of having access to a colleague who was experienced in working with men. Quite often this helped them in their own work. An example from the community case studies is described below.

Almost all of the other service workers (93 per cent) considered the men’s service impacted on their work in ways other than their dealings with their own clients. Almost 50 per cent indicated that they saw the men’s service as a resource where they could now refer men with confidence that their needs would be met. A greater awareness of men’s needs and an increase in skills/confidence in working with men were also cited.

* Multiple responses were allowed.

The high level of workers reporting on-referral of male clients to the men’s service suggests that either the other service workers are lacking the skills or confidence to provide appropriate assistance to men, or that they are not employed to do so. They may be employed under a program in which the target group excludes men.

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5.4 Impact on the external environment

Awareness and support of the men’s service amongst other service providers and in the broader community is clearly important to the overall success of the service.

Support and cooperation from other agencies

Findings from the community case studies indicate a considerable degree of support for the concept of a men’s service amongst external agencies, with comments overwhelmingly in support of a service specifically targeted to men. In most cases the men’s service was thought to be the only one of its kind in the region. Amongst external agencies the men’s services have been greeted with enthusiasm and in many cases relief. The men’s service is also seen as offering expertise and professional support for others who are interested in working with men.

In the early organisation survey, all but one of the managers considered that the men’s service had changed their organisation’s relationships with other agencies in the region for the better; the other manager thought the relationship had not changed. It seems likely that the high level of networking undertaken by many of the men’s service is contributing to increased coordination and better relationships amongst service agencies.

Many of the men’s services or their host organisations had undertaken quite extensive consultation prior to setting up the service. Many have established reference groups to build networks and to gain input from external agencies. These activities have no doubt contributed to the generally positive attitudes and support of the men’s services amongst agencies.

The men’s service as a resource for other agencies

Another factor emerging from the community case studies is that the men’s workers are often being seen as a resource for other service providers (outside the host organisation) who want to work with men. The men’s workers are seen as having skills and knowledge about how to work effectively with men. In some cases they are being called on to develop training courses, facilitate workshops and provide general advice to other professionals. Some services have been instrumental in organising very successful conferences and seminars around working with men.

Competition amongst agencies has not emerged as a problem yet. This is probably because the men’s services are relatively new and there are so few organisations providing services targeted specifically to men.

6. Staffing the Services 

• 6.1 Difficulty in finding staff
• 6.2 Staff skills and experience
• 6.3 Staff training, development and support

The importance of finding the right staff for the job can never be underestimated. This is particularly the case in the pilot men’s services, with innovation the key to success, and typically few staff - especially full time staff - employed by any one pilot. Both the first (early) and the later (longitudinal) organisational surveys canvassed the issue of staffing the pilot men’s services.

6.1 Difficulty in Finding Staff

The pool of qualified workers with experience in men’s work is, not surprisingly, relatively small compared with some other areas. From the early survey and the community case studies it became apparent that some services were having difficulty in employing staff with the appropriate expertise and experience to work in the men’s service. Whilst many staff had a strong background of experience in the area others were enthusiastically dealing with a relatively steep learning curve. Services located in regional and remote locations have experienced particular difficulties in finding suitable staff.

Early recruiting issues

Managers were asked in the early organisational survey about difficulties they experienced in the set up phase in finding service workers who were experienced in working with men. More than half the managers (59 per cent) reported that this had been difficult for them. These managers identified five major types of difficulties with finding staff with experience in counselling men as the chief of these (18 per cent of services). Experienced all-rounders (14 per cent) and experienced Indigenous workers and/or staff with knowledge about Indigenous issues were also difficult to recruit (9 per cent of services). Rural and remote services indicated that they were finding it difficult to recruit any staff (16 per cent). Some services suggested that the combination of the relatively low salary 7 offered and the fact that the service was in its pilot stage (and hence positions were unable to be offered permanently) was causing difficulties (9 per cent). Appendix B contains a full list of workers that services were experiencing difficulty in recruiting in the set up phase.

In the set up phase, recruiting from within the host organisation was the most usual method of finding staff. During the community case studies several services mentioned turning to internal staff when their external recruiting campaigns were unsuccessful. Other services indicated that they had a particular staff member in mind when they put in the initial application for funding. Rural and remote services were by far the most fearful about finding suitable staff should their current staff move on for any reason.

Staffing in the last twelve months

In the second survey, managers were asked if they had experienced difficulty in finding suitable staff, either full or part time, in the 12 months after the first survey. Most of the services (75 per cent) had not needed to look for full time staff, which may well indicate that the staff in the men’s services are relatively stable (Table 6.3 below examines this issue). Of the 10 services which had looked for fulltime staff, seven (70 per cent) had experienced difficulty.

It appears that part time staff were both more in demand with the men’s services and were somewhat easier to find. Only 15 services (38 per cent) did not need part time staff over the last 12 months. Of those 25 services that were looking to recruit, 15 or 60 per cent experienced difficulty.

Some organisations were actively seeking out male students (of social work, psychology or related disciplines) for their student placement. This has provided the dual benefits of additional support for the men’s service as well as a potential source of future recruitment.

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Staff turn over

On the positive side of the staff recruiting issue is the fact that there appears to have been relatively low turn over of existing staff. Some 27 services (73 per cent) still had a worker who was with the service since it began, implying a high level of commitment and/or satisfaction amongst the men’s service staff.

Table 6.3. Staff with men’s service since it began

The need for after hours work

The difficulty in finding workers willing to take on the after hours work so often involved with men’s services was another particular concern of case study organisations during the evaluation. The second organisational survey asked managers’ opinions on the extent of after hours work required in the men’s service. Some 65 per cent of managers indicated that there was a greater need for after hours work in the men’s service than in similar services. This is no doubt contributing to the difficulty in finding suitable staff.

The need to undertake considerable after hours work is also a concern of existing men’s service workers. Many workers mentioned during the case studies that they would like to set up more groups for particular types or needs of men, but as they were already working one or more nights per week they felt unable to do so because of the stress this places on them and their own families. This is of course the perfect irony, that service workers feel difficulty in working extra nights because they are afraid that they will suffer the same difficulties as so many of their clients.

6.2 Staff Skills and Experience

The community case studies suggest that, to a large extent, the skills, experience and interests of the staff of the men’s service have a direct bearing on the type and range of services being offered.

Educational qualifications

The men’s service workers are mostly very well educated. Almost all have tertiary qualifications, with most (81 per cent) having a bachelor degree or postgraduate qualification.

There is a relatively even spread between psychology and social work qualifications. In general, and not surprisingly, there appears to be a greater focus on counselling in those with a psychology background and a greater focus on community development and group work for those with a social work background. Whilst some services have had the luxury of advertising and employing a worker with a particular background, others have found that the type of service they can offer is somewhat dependent on the skills and expertise of the person they are able to recruit.

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Experience in working with men

Given the difficulty that managers have indicated they have experienced in recruiting experienced workers, it appears that it may be a relatively small market and that many of those with experience in working with men have already been recruited to the men’s services.

More than two-thirds (70 per cent) of the men’s service workers who were employed in the set up phase reported experience in working with men for more than five years, with 21 of these having more than 10 years experience. Twenty-four per cent of the service workers indicated that they had little previous experience (less than two years) in working with men.

* Three service workers did not answer this question.

6.3 Staff Training, Development and Support

As discussed above, managers of the pilot men’s services have indicated that finding the right worker for the service has often proved difficult and expensive. The area of working with men is relatively new for many organisations. There is a particular set of skills that is required to undertake the work.

Skill requirements

For those undertaking individual counselling and group work there is a need to understand and operate in ways that make men feel comfortable and not judged. A male presence appears to be an important component of much of the group work, particularly when dealing with separated men. Organisations wanting to engage with men from particular cultural backgrounds and/or Indigenous men need to have a worker of the appropriate background to act as a conduit to the men. On top of all this is the fact that an active, innovative and entrepreneurial approach to marketing the service and attracting the men is a strong requirement for an effective men’s service.

The difficulties that are being experienced suggest there is a relatively small pool of experienced, qualified workers with the appropriate personal qualities to undertake what is a relatively new and often quite difficult field of endeavour.

Managers were asked whether they expected to find suitable, trained staff in the future. Some 87 per cent indicated that they would expect to provide some training to a new staff member.

Organisations are therefore often faced with making a pragmatic choice among competing priorities—professional qualifications, a culturally appropriate background or relevant experience. Often because of lack of availability, services are forced to choose staff without the qualifications or without the relevant experience. In these cases there is a very clear need for staff training. Many managers have indicated that they are being required to take on a greater role in training their new staff members in the men’s area. This has implications for their training budget and has meant that some new staff members are on a relatively steep learning curve when first recruited.

Staff development and support

The ongoing development and support of staff is an issue for all organisations, but in the area of men’s service delivery these issues require particular attention. In the community case studies it was apparent that those who have been employed as the sole men’s worker in an organisation face particular stresses and pressure. Some reported feeling isolated because they lacked opportunities for regular dialogue with others working in the men’s services field. Without this, their opportunities for ongoing development were more limited than for others who benefited form the regular exchange of ideas and support offered by colleagues.

The sole men’s worker can also feel pressured about taking holidays, or anxious about leaving a community without support for the men, if or when they moved on.

Staff support and development opportunities are important issues for host organisations to consider, particularly when they are engaging a single worker.

7. The maximum salary for workers under the award is apparently around $45,000 per annum.

7. The Way Forward 

• 7.1 A male identified service
• 7.2 Targeting the service – getting the balance right
• 7.3 Key intervention points
• 7.4 Reactive intervention points
• 7.5 Proactive intervention points
• 7.6 Targeting ‘at risk’ men
• 7.7 Targeting Indigenous men and men from non-English speaking backgrounds
• 7.8 Men in the workplace
• 7.9 Appropriately trained staff

This chapter examines the issues of effectiveness and cost effectiveness that have emerged during the evaluation process and discusses their implications for the operation of any ongoing program of men’s services. It also examines the issues of mainstreaming versus a separately identified men’s service, targeting the service and the need for an overall balance of proactive and reactive service.

7.1 A Male Identified Service

Clients of the pilot men’s services have indicated an overall very high level of satisfaction with the quality of services being provided, and a perception that the service has helped them considerably.

The evidence collected through this evaluation clearly shows that the men’s services are highly valued by their clients and by other service providers. A consistent view has been expressed by community and social welfare service workers - those within the host agency and other service providers - that prior to the existence of the men’s service there had been few, and in many regions no services which met the needs of men seeking support.

A key question for the provision of support services for men is whether these are best provided through a separate, specialised service for men, or whether they can be accommodated within general or mainstream services. Many of the agencies that are hosting men’s service pilots have traditionally offered family and/or general counselling and support services prior to the existence of the men’s services. Whilst men have not necessarily been excluded from these services, in most cases the numbers of men accessing them have been relatively low. Discussions with male clients of the pilot services and staff of referral agencies indicate a perception of ‘family services’ as being geared towards the needs of women and children.

Given the generally held view that service providers have not been very successful in engaging with men in the past, it appears that separately identified men’s services will be more effective, at least in the medium term.

Whilst a certain number of men who are in crisis will access whatever services are available, providing they are aware that the services exist, it seems likely that a service which does not identify itself as being specifically for men, or at the very least ‘male-friendly’, will deter many men. Among those men who responded to the survey, the vast majority (89 per cent) said it was important to them that the service was experienced in working with men.

Perceptions of other referral agencies

A specifically identified men’s service also has an important effect on the behaviour of other referral agencies. As has been discussed elsewhere in this report the men’s services are seen as areas of expertise; places where other workers can confidently refer men who are in crisis or seeking support. Government and other community agencies are major referral sources for the men’s services, and many men have said that they first found out about the men’s services through these sources. The perception and behaviour of other agencies therefore have an important influence on linking the men with the services.

The clear tagging of a service as being specifically or solely for men, such as groups for separated men, workshops for new dads, and special events such as men’s forums, is a major attraction. ‘It’s good to see something for the men’ has been a typical reaction.

Male identified service, but not necessarily male counsellors

Having male counsellors is clearly one way that a service can signal that it has an understanding of men’s needs. However, there are a number of men’s services employing women as counsellors who appear to be no less successful in engaging with men. In-depth interviews with clients undertaken in the community case studies indicate that gender of the counsellor is not usually the most important factor for the clients. Whilst some male clients indicated a clear preference for a male counsellor, others indicated a preference for a female, and the majority said that the gender of the counsellor was not important. What mattered most was the quality of the counselling and a non-judgmental attitude.

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7.2 Targeting the Service—Getting the Balance Right

An effective service will be cognisant of the general principles of quality service provision. This means ensuring that staff are aware of and practising the general principles of successfully engaging with men; issues which have been examined in chapters 3 and 4.

Beyond these issues, however, decisions about which target groups and when to engage have important ramifications for the success of any men’s service. These decisions will to a large extent determine the types of services which need to be provided. There are target groups which clearly require mostly reactive services; services which will help these men cope with immediate difficulties, for example, separated and separating men, and Indigenous and ethnic men experiencing cultural and relationship difficulties. There also groups which require proactive services; services which attempt to give information and skills development in a more preventative mode, directed for example, to young men and retired men.

A relatively large number (46 per cent) of the pilot men’s services have indicated that they have no specific target group, but rather they are attempting to access ‘all men’ who require assistance. Whilst this is an admirable goal and there is potential to achieve much good work, care needs to be taken to ensure that there is not an implicit assumption that just because men are men they are in need of skills training or input of some kind to be more effective in their relationships and family life. There is also the danger that those who are most at risk of relationship or personal difficulties (for example, separation or suicide) and are also the most difficult to access may miss out on assistance where services have chosen to concentrate on relationship enhancement issues.

The choice of an appropriate mix of target groups is essential to ensure a balanced approach to assistance within an ongoing program of men’s services.

7.3 Key Intervention Points

To maximise the cost effectiveness of a men and family relationships program it is necessary to make pragmatic decisions about targeting men at key intervention points.

There appear to be quite specific stages in men’s lives when they are most open to receiving information and skills development which will impact on their family relationships. Some of these key intervention points are reactive in nature and some are proactive. Many of the successful men’s services have already tapped into these intervention points.

The reactive intervention points occur when men are in crisis. A substantial subgroup of this category is men who have separated or are separating from their partners.

The proactive intervention points are:

• young school-aged men;
• new fathers; and
• men after retirement.

There are also specific needs for services, both reactive and proactive, targeting:

• Indigenous men;
• men from non-English speaking backgrounds; and
• men living in rural and remote areas.

Men in prison would appear to be also at a stage when appropriate, proactive specialist intervention may be readily received. Although some services initially indicated that they would be targeting prisoners in their pilot service, no service has indicated prisoners as a major target group in the later organisational survey. Although some services may be offering services to prisoners, it appears that engaging with male prisoners as a major target group has proved more difficult than first anticipated.

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7.4 Reactive Intervention Points

Separated and separating men

Men who are living with the pain of separating from their partners, and particularly separated fathers, are at an extremely vulnerable point in their lives. The men’s services have demonstrated that this group of men can benefit greatly from service intervention. Separated fathers are particularly interested in gaining information and skills around maintaining close relationships with their children. When the service is marketed sensitively it is evident that these men are very open to receiving support.

Other men in crisis

There is a range of situations where men find themselves in a crisis when they will be open to intervention through the men’s service. Newly widowed, retrenched men, young men coming to terms with their sexuality, and fathers who are experiencing conflict in their relationships with adolescent children have all sought crisis assistance through the men’s service. Men living in rural and remote areas are particularly vulnerable, often having relatively few avenues for personal support and living long distances from towns with available support services.

7.5 Proactive Intervention Points

Young men

The pilot men’s services can point to quite a few successful interventions in young men’s lives. The preferred intervention point is during the late school years, and often, but not always within the school setting—where they are in a sense, a captive audience. Groups covering topics on managing anger, dealing with strong emotions and relating to others, including partners, have particular resonance with events in their lives and can prove highly beneficial. Some services have found that Year 11 and 12 students are particularly open to carefully planned mixed groups when discussion of relationships and emotions allows for feedback from each gender and hence an enhanced understanding at a relatively early age as to the many different ways that young men and women can view their world.

The experiences of the men’s services suggest that this can be a very powerful intervention point with strong flow on effects in current and later family relationships.

New fathers

A relatively large number of the pilot men’s services have targeted new fathers. Some have designated this target group from the beginning. Others have trialed attracting more generalist target groups and have come to the conclusion that although they have much wisdom and knowledge to impart, the audience is unreceptive. In contrast to this, new fathers are extremely open to information and very specific skills development. They are immensely aware of the change which has occurred or is about to occur in their lives through the arrival of a new baby and have shown themselves to be extremely keen to gain information. The information the new fathers seek is not only on issues specific to the new baby, but also on ways of enhancing their relationship with their partners at a time which often places considerable stress on the relationship.

Recently retired men

Another target group that is potentially receptive to information and skills development is the recently retired. The time of retirement can be one of great change for families. It is also a significant time of transition for men—they often have more time on their hands and are freer of some of their traditional responsibilities around being a father and provider. Providing these men with support and a sense of control over the process can play an important role in the maintenance and enhancement of relationships.

Two of the men’s services visited during the community case studies were running groups for older men. Both of these services have found that an important issue for many older men is their relationship with their adult children. The groups encourage men in their mentoring role, but in ways that are respectful and unobtrusive to their children. The services have experienced little difficulty in getting the men to come along. The men themselves were generally very enthusiastic and found the support to be highly beneficial to their own general health and well being as well as to their family relationships.

7.6 Targeting ‘At Risk’Men

Attempting to target men who are at risk of experiencing family/relationship difficulties is highly problematic. Unless the men identify themselves as being at risk the service is going to have difficulty accessing them. The number of men who seek assistance at the time of relationship breakdown, but not before, suggests that many do not identify themselves as having a problem of sufficient magnitude to warrant support early on.

Services which attempt to educate the general population of men to prevent ‘at risk’ behaviour are most likely to be utilised by men who are already on the path of learning about themselves and their family relationships. Whilst this may be a worthwhile endeavour, there are obviously concerns about the cost effectiveness of such assistance when there are others who require intervention.

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7.7 Targeting Indigenous Men and Men from Nonenglish Speaking Backgrounds

Indigenous men and men from non-English speaking backgrounds require a different approach in targeting. Although the key intervention points for these groups are not necessarily dissimilar to those of mainstream Australian men, the experience of services dealing with these client groups suggests that it is more likely their primary identification will be with their ethnic or Indigenous identity rather than their identity as fathers or separated men. Hence, to engage with a large number of men from non-mainstream cultures, it may be necessary to identify and market services firstly to their Indigenous or ethnic identity and secondly to the specific intervention points as discussed above.

Few organisations deal effectively with both mainstream and particular cultural groups. Sometimes an organisation will simply have to accept that they are lacking the necessary infrastructure, staff, or skills, to really engage with the Indigenous or ethnic target group, no matter how strong their desire to do so may be. The most cost effective option in this case is to consider some form of partnership with an organisation which does have expertise in working with the particular cultural group. Using this model, the skills of a men’s service worker in counselling, skills development and education on family relationships issues for men would be added to the existing organisation rather than the generic ‘welfare’ service attempting to gain a specific Indigenous or ethnic identity of its own.

7.8 Men in the Workplace

The workplace represents a potential opportunity for service provision to men, and the evaluation has identified some significant areas of success within the pilot services. However, more often than not those services that have attempted to engage with men in the workplace have found this to be problematic. It would appear that there is a particular set of requirements for services to successfully engage with the workplace, and that unless these requirements can be met the organisation’s resources could be more effectively and efficiently utilised through other means of service delivery.

The experiences of the more successful services demonstrate that workplace intervention is possible. Indeed, both management and staff within some organisations have received these programs very well. The evaluation findings suggest that the services that are most likely to be successful in the workplace are those that have the capacity for networking in the business world. Services will need staff with the appropriate skills and attributes to effectively engage with business managers as well as a wide diversity of men, marketing strategies that will appeal to business, and an ability to identify and target the type of business that is likely to be receptive to their services.

Those services which have been successful in providing services to men in the workplace have largely delivered one-off skills education courses of varying length, from a half-day seminar to an eight-week structured program. A less common model of workplace service delivery has been the provision of counselling to men in the workplace. The greatest success from either model has been achieved in targeting businesses which have already had some experience with counselling services or other staff support programs. Whilst it can be very difficult for services to get the initial ‘foot in the door’, feedback from businesses that have been persuaded to trial workplace delivery of services has generally been very positive.

Many services targeting workplaces have had disappointing results, despite having strong agency and/or personal links into workplace. Part of the issue is undoubtedly due to the methods of marketing the service. It seems clear that service provision to business must be able to speak the language of business. This means placing a strong emphasis on the business’s ‘bottom line’, emphasising the competitive advantage to be gained through providing workplace services to men.

Not all businesses will be suitable for or open to the concept of workplace delivery of services. Some men’s services have experienced resistance from companies with a mixed gender workforce. Some businesses will also have reservations about utilising particular religious based services in the workplace (regardless of the fact that the service is not interested in providing religious services) lest they be seen as favouring a particular religion and potentially alienating some of their staff.

The huge range of ages and life stages in workplaces increases the difficulty in engaging with men in the workplace. Unless the topic is one which is of equal relevance to all of the men, for example health issues, then the attention of the workplace can be difficult to maintain. In short, the key intervention points discussed above still apply in the workplace. Ultimately services which find a way in to workplaces may need to target at specific intervention points to maintain interest. Provided the workplace is large and management is flexible this should be possible.

7.9 Appropriately Trained Staff

Managers of the pilot men’s services have indicated that finding the right worker for the service has often proved difficult and expensive. The area of working with men is relatively new for many organisations. There is a particular set of skills that is required to undertake the work.

Skill requirements

For those undertaking individual counselling and group work there is a need to understand and operate in ways that make men feel comfortable and not judged. A male presence appears to be an important component of much of the group work, particularly when dealing with separated men. Organisations wanting to engage with men from particular cultural backgrounds and/or Indigenous men need to have a worker of the appropriate background to act as a conduit to the men. On top of all this is the fact that an active, innovative and entrepreneurial approach to marketing the service and attracting the men is a strong requirement for an effective men’s service.

The recruiting difficulties that are being experienced suggest that there is a relatively small pool of experienced, qualified workers with the appropriate personal qualities to undertake what is a relatively new and often quite difficult field of endeavour.

Organisations are therefore often faced with making a pragmatic choice among competing priorities - professional qualifications, a culturally appropriate background or relevant experience. Often because of lack of availability, services are forced to choose staff without the qualifications or without the relevant experience. In these cases there is a very clear need for staff training.

Need for men’s worker training

Findings from the community case studies suggest that there is a growing pool of expertise in working with men but much of what is being learned resides with individual workers. Whilst the evaluation process is one way of disseminating the learning, and some services are forming important alliances, there is a need for a more efficient transference of the practical, hands-on expertise that is being gained through the pilot process, especially to new workers as they come into the field.

It appears that for many, their university courses were targeted more towards working with women and children. Given that this has been the traditional target for social workers in particular, this is not surprising. Nor is it surprising that a university curriculum in a profession, which is largely dominated by women, might utilise more of a female paradigm in its approach. What is evident, however, is that greater attention needs to be given to the specialised needs of men in the social work and psychology professions.

Need for supervisor training

Another important aspect of training is ensuring that the direct supervisor of the men’s worker also has relevant knowledge of how to deal effectively with men. In situations where the worker is male and the supervisor is female, or where the worker is of a particular Indigenous or ethnic background and the supervisor is not, it can be very difficult for the supervisor to adequately provide professional advice and supervision unless they havean adequate knowledge of the issues.

Provision of training programs

There is a considerable pool of expertise within the workers of the Men and Family Relationship initiative. This expertise, coupled with that of researchers and other workers in the field could be harnessed to put together a primer for working with men. A computer based training program, video, handbook or training course which could be provided to all workers prior to starting in a men’s service could prove to be a very cost effective method of ensuring high quality, appropriate service provision within the Men and Family Relationships initiative.

8. Appendix A-B 

• Appendix A - Client Outcomes
• Appendix B - Impact On the Host Organisation and Staffing Issues

Appendix A - Client Outcomes

Profile of respondents to the participant questionnaire.

During the operation of the pilot services a wide range of male clients, aged from under 20 up to 78, sought assistance from the services. Two-thirds of respondents (67 per cent) were aged between 31 and 50.

Under half of the survey respondents were in a married or de facto relationship (44 per cent) at the time of the survey. Around one-fifth (22 per cent) were separated or divorced, and 17 per cent had never married.

During the community case studies it was apparent that the fact of being a father was a major reason for men to attend the service, regardless of the particular issue for which they sought help. These observations are borne out by the survey data, with the majority of the survey respondents having dependent children (76 per cent). Almost half (44 per cent) had children living at home with them.

Twenty-two of the respondents (4 per cent) indicated that they were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin.

The majority of respondents (61 per cent) were in employment, with 51 per cent in full time employment and 10 per cent in part time employment. Twenty-nine per cent were unemployed.

Some 14 per cent of respondents had less than Year 10 education, with 25 per cent reporting having a trade qualification and 15 per cent a degree. Overall, 71 per cent of respondents were educated beyond Year 10 level.

The majority (77 per cent) of respondents spoke only English at home. The most common other languages spoken at home were European (5 per cent), Greek (4 per cent), South-east Asian languages (3 per cent), and Chinese/Mandarin (3 per cent). Two respondents indicated that they spoke an Indigenous Australian (Koori) language at home.

* Korean/Lao/Viet/Filipino

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Appendix B—Impact On the Host Organisation and Staffing Issues

Impact on the Host Organisation

* Multiple responses were allowed so totals do not equal number of respondents.

Staffing issues

A number of managers indicated they were having difficulty in recruiting experienced men’s workers during the set up phase of the pilot men’s services.

* Multiple responses were allowed so totals do not equal number of respondents.

The staffing profile varies considerably from one service to another, both in terms of the number of workers and the mixture of full time and part time staff.

Survey 1

* Two managers did not answer this question.
# Part time allocations ranged from 0.2 to 0.8.

Survey 2

As shown in the table above, 20 services indicated that they have at least one full time staff member, with three of these having two full time staff. Eighteen services have only part time staff. The maximum number of part time staff in any one service is eight. One service employs sessional staff only.

Supplementary Report 

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Client outcomes

• Appendix A - Evaluation methodology

1. Introduction 

• 1.1 Background to the initiative
• 1.2 Key findings of this report
• 1.3 Evaluation methodology
• 1.4 The participant surveys
• 1.5 Evaluation reporting

This data report is supplementary to the final report on the evaluation of the Men and Family Relationships initiative, undertaken for the Department of Family and Community Services from November 2000 to October 2002. The evaluation examined the operation of the pilot men’s services funded under the initiative, as well as the experiences and outcomes for a sample of clients who received assistance from these services.

This report examines longer term outcomes for the clients of the Men and Family Relationships pilot services. Findings from the first participant survey were reported in the final report of the evaluation. This supplementary report utilises data from the male clients who responded to the second participant survey, implemented some six months after the first survey was completed.

1.1 Background to the initiative

The Men and Family Relationships initiative aims to assist men deal with emotional issues around relationships, so that they can manage a range of relationship difficulties and enhance or re-establish positive relationships.

The initiative was announced in November 1997, together with funding of $6 million over four years, as one of the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence projects. Initially appropriated to the Attorney-General’s Department, the money passed to the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services on its creation in 1998, along with the Family Relationships Services Program, of which the initiative is part.

The funding was allocated to 18 community-based organisations to develop innovative services or projects which support men in their relationships. In 1998 the Government announced the provision of a further $10.5 million over three and a half years for an additional 28 pilot services, bringing to 46 the total number of organisations funded. Since then the pilot program has been extended until 30 June 2003 and total funding allocated increased to $22 million.

The men’s services are located in every state and territory, in a range of metropolitan, rural and regional locations. The pilots offer a variety of service types including counselling, skills development, education and community development activities.

1.2 Key findings of this report

Very high levels of satisfaction sustained over time:

• In the first participant survey a very high 96 per cent of participants rated the service as either very good or good. In the second participant survey the corresponding percentage was 95 per cent. This indicates a very high rate of sustainability of satisfaction levels over time and suggests that the men’s pilot initiative as a whole has been extremely successful in satisfying the needs of its male clients.

High levels of demand for a men specific service:

• Over two-thirds of participants (70 per cent) said that they would prefer to attend a men’s service if they were experiencing relationship or parenting difficulties. Around 98 per cent of the men indicated that they would seek further assistance if necessary. This strongly suggests that men are generally willing to talk about their relationships provided that the context is welcoming and the approach adopted is appropriate.

Increasing numbers of men recommending the service to other men:

• In the first questionnaire, around 44 per cent of respondents indicated that they had already recommended the service. Although this is in itself a quite high rate, some six months later (the second questionnaire) the number who had already recommended the service rose to a very high 61 per cent. Given that word of mouth is a very powerful marketing tool, this augers well for new business in the future for the men’s services.

Strong positive impact on the skills and self-concept of the clients:

• The majority of survey respondents indicated that the service had a strong positive impact on their skills, their feelings about themselves, their family relationships, and their capacity to deal with future difficulties. For example, the majority either agreed or strongly agreed that they had an improved ability to deal with a crisis (76 per cent), increased self-knowledge (84 per cent), and increased understanding of relationships (79 per cent).

Most useful aspects of the men’s service identified:

• The top five most useful aspects of the men’s service were identified as contact/relating to other men in a similar situation; being given support; being able to talk/have someone who listens; being in a respectful/accepting environment; and learning coping/conflict resolution skills.

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1.3 Evaluation methodology

The evaluation utilised four separate and complementary methodologies: a series of longitudinal community case studies; surveys of pilot service organisations; longitudinal surveys of clients; and an examination of existing data. This supplementary report deals with one aspect of the evaluation - the second, longitudinal survey of a sample of clients of the men’s services. Appendix A contains a detailed explanation of the full evaluation methodology.

1.4 The participant surveys

The first participant survey

The first participant survey was designed as a self-completion questionnaire, to be distributed to pilot service clients by service workers. The survey sought information on issues such as how the clients found out about the service; their reasons for attending; the types of service they received; their levels of satisfaction; and their perceptions of the effectiveness of the service. To maintain client confidentiality, the questions did not focus on the personal issues of the clients themselves.

All pilot organisations were requested to distribute 50 questionnaires to male clients who had at least two encounters with the service. Female clients were excluded. The final evaluation report includes the results of this survey.

The second, longitudinal participant survey

The second participant survey was timed to be completed by the participants around six months after the completion of the initial participant survey, thus providing a longer term client perspective on the men’s services.

The self-completion questionnaire was designed to obtain longitudinal information on the types of services clients had received; the importance of particular aspects of the services offered; longer term outcomes for the clients themselves and for their family relationships; and to obtain a number of measures of client satisfaction with the men’s services. The survey was distributed to all of those participants who had returned an initial participant questionnaire and had agreed to continue with the second survey.

1.5 Evaluation reporting

There have been four interim reports on different aspects of the evaluation:

• a preliminary report on the FAMnet data extracts in December 2000;
• an interim report in June 2001 dealing with the first 18 funded services;
• an interim report in November 2001; and
• a progress report in April 2002.

To assist with departmental processes, the Department of Family and Community Services requested that the final report on all aspects of the pilot Men and Family Relationships initiative be completed earlier than originally anticipated. At that time the data from the second, longitudinal survey of participants of the men’s services was not available for inclusion in the final report. Hence, this supplementary report provides a separate analysis of the longitudinal participant data.

2. Client outcomes 

• 2.1 Client satisfaction levels
• 2.2 Seeking assistance in the future
• 2.3 Impact of the service
• 2.4 Important aspects of service delivery
• 2.5 Client characteristics

This chapter looks at outcomes for the clients of the Men and Family Relationships pilot services using data from the male clients who responded to the second, longitudinal self-completion questionnaire. Several important longer term outcome measures are examined, including client satisfaction levels, the extent of skills and relationships improvements, and views on the overall usefulness of the service provision.

The report also examines related issues such as the importance of particular types of services being offered by the men’s services, the extent to which the service has assisted their ability to predict and deal with any future crises, and their propensity to utilise similar types of services in the future.

2.1 Client satisfaction levels

The level of long term client satisfaction is an important indicator of the success of the pilots. Another well recognised measure of satisfaction is the willingness of individuals to make positive recommendations to friends and relatives. The survey canvassed a number of these measures, including an overall rating of the assistance they received, whether they would go to a service again in the future, and whether they would recommend the service to other men. The positive responses on all these measures indicate that survey respondents were very satisfied with the quality of services, both in the short term and over the longer term.

Overall satisfaction

Respondents were asked to indicate their overall level of satisfaction with the assistance they received. The results from the second participant survey, some six months after the first survey, are extremely high, with 95 per cent of respondents indicating that they found the service to be either very good or good. Only three participants (2 per cent) rated the assistance as poor. No details on their reasons for dissatisfaction were provided.

In the first participant survey, the respondents were similarly exceptionally happy with the service they received, with 96 per cent rating the service as either very good or good. This indicates a very high rate of sustainability of satisfaction levels over time and suggests that the men’s pilot initiative as a whole has been extremely successful in satisfying the needs of its male clients.

2.2 Seeking assistance in the future

A key issue in the development of the Men and Family Relationships initiative has been the recognition that, in general, prior to the inception of the initiative services had not been particularly successful in attracting male clients.

The research about men’s access to relationship support services suggests that men access such services at significantly lower rates than women, and that men initiate first contact with these services at even lower levels. The research also indicates that those who initiate contact do so at the later stages of their relationship difficulties, often when it is too late to avoid separation 1.

Commonwealth commissioned focus group research into men’s attitudes to relationship support services 2 showed that contrary to popular belief, men have a high degree of commitment to their families and are motivated towards the development and maintenance of successful relationships. However, prior to the inception of the men’s services this commitment had not translated into attendance at services for a number of reasons.

In the longitudinal survey clients were asked whether they would go to a service again in the future if they were experiencing relationship or parenting difficulties. Over two-thirds of participants (70 per cent) responded that they would and their preference would be for a men’s service. A further 27 per cent said that they would attend a service again in the future, and that it would not need to be a men’s only service. Only 2 per cent indicated that they would not attend a support service if they were experiencing difficulties in the future.

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* Question not asked in first participant survey as most respondents were still attending a men’s service.

The fact that 98 per cent of the men who had attended a men’s service would return to a service for assistance strongly suggests that the attitude of these men towards help seeking has changed considerably from that portrayed in the research discussed above. It appears that these men are now comfortable with the idea of seeking relationship and/or parenting assistance, though it is important to note that the overwhelming majority (70 per cent) indicated that they would prefer to attend a service set up specifically for men.

Findings from this survey would appear to bear out the research findings from the Commonwealth commissioned focus group research that men are generally willing to talk about their relationships and to learn new skills if the context is welcoming and the approach adopted is appropriate 3. The case studies undertaken during the evaluation confirm that services which build on men’s existing strengths and problem solving strategies, rather than on perceived weaknesses, are more likely to succeed in engaging with men.

Readiness to recommend the service to others

A further indication of the level of satisfaction with the men’s services is whether clients would recommend the service to other men. It appears that the men who attended the men’s services are not only very happy with the overall level of service and are very positive about re-attending if need be, in the future, but also that they are readily recommending the service to other men. Given that word of mouth is a very powerful marketing tool this augers well for new business in the future for the men’s services.

The response to the question on recommending the men’s services was overwhelmingly positive, with 61 per cent responding that they had already recommended the service to others. A further 38 per cent said that they would recommend the service but had not done so yet. Only 1 per cent of respondents indicated that they would not recommend the service to other men. The three men who were not willing to recommend the service gave no reasons.

The effect of word of mouth over time is evident when the results from the first and second participant questionnaires are compared. In the first questionnaire around 44 per cent of respondents indicated that they had already recommended the service. Although this is in itself a quite high rate, some six months later (the second questionnaire) the number who had already recommended the service has risen to a very high 61 per cent. This presents further evidence that men are willing to discuss their situations and issues with other men and indeed, to recommend that others seek assistance.

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2.3 Impact of the service

Participants were presented with a number of statements about potential changes within themselves and were invited to indicate how they felt about them as a result of going to the men’s service. Because of the different reasons for which men attended the services, not all the statements were applicable to all respondents.

Some questions from the first participant survey were repeated in the second survey to determine if the stated improvements were sustained over the longer term. When the same question was asked in the first and second participant questionnaires, comparative data are provided in the text. Overall, the comparisons show considerable consistency, indicating a very high level of sustainability in the skills development of participants in the men’s services pilot initiative.

The findings show that the majority of men see the service as having had a strong positive impact on their skills, their feelings about themselves, their family relationships, and their capacity to deal with future difficulties.

Ability to deal with a crisis

One of the objectives of the pilot Men and Family Relationships initiative was to help build resilience in their male clients. One measure of higher levels of resilience is the improved ability to deal with a crisis. Other measures include improved ability to see when a crisis is coming and being able to avoid a future crisis. The extent to which the respondents believed their skills had improved in these areas is indicated in the following sections.

A very high percentage of clients felt that going to the men’s service had improved their ability to deal with a crisis, with 76 per cent either agreeing or strongly agreeing with this statement. Only 4 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement.

Ability to see a crisis coming

Approximately two-thirds of respondents (67 per cent) agreed or strongly agreed that they were better able to see a crisis developing as a result of attending the men’s service. Only 5 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

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Helped to avoid a future crisis

Some 67 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that attending the men’s service had helped them to avoid future crises. A small percentage (4 per cent) disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

Parenting skills

A high percentage of respondents (62 per cent) agreed or strongly agreed that going to the men’s service had improved their parenting skills. Some 5 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed, and the remainder were neutral or felt that the question did not apply.

Relationships with children

During the community case studies component of the evaluation it was evident that many male clients were attending the services because of concerns about their children. The majority of respondents (62 per cent) agreed or strongly agreed that going to the service had resulted in improved relationships with their children. A small percentage (5 per cent) disagreed or strongly disagreed.

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Relationship with wife/partner

Half of the survey respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that going to the men’s service had resulted in improved relationships with their wife or partner. Some 9 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed that there had been an improvement.

Increased self-knowledge

Attendance at the men’s service is clearly having a positive impact on clients’ understanding of themselves, with 84 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing that going to the service had resulted in increased self-knowledge. Only 1 per cent disagreed with the statement.

In the first participant survey some 80 per cent of respondents identified an increase in self-knowledge, indicating that overall, the increased self-knowledge has been sustained (and marginally improved) over the six-month period.

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Increased understanding of support options

A very high percentage of respondents felt that going to the men’s service had increased their knowledge of where to go if they need more support, with 81 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing with this statement. Some 3 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed.

In the first participant survey 78 per cent of respondents indicated an increased understanding of support options, again indicating that there has been a sustained increase in knowledge for participants.

Increased understanding of relationships

A large majority of respondents (79 per cent) either agreed or strongly agreed that going to the men’s service had increased their understanding of relationships; 2 per cent disagreed.

Data from the first participant survey show 82 per cent believing that they had an increased understanding of relationships, again indicating a high level of sustainability.

Increased skills

Three-quarters of respondents (75 per cent) agreed or strongly agreed that going to the men’s service had increased their skill levels. Some 4 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed.

The first participant survey had a similar percentage of agreement from respondents (76 per cent) on this issue.

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Increased confidence

A high percentage of respondents felt that going to the men’s service had resulted in an increase in their confidence, with 75 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement. Only 3 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed.

Exactly the same percentage (75 per cent) responded positively to the first participant survey.

2.4 Important aspects of service delivery

The final report on the evaluation of the men and Family Relationships initiative examined the issue of attracting men to the men’s services, and identified those aspects of service delivery which the male clients valued highly. The second participant survey presented an opportunity to validate some of these findings from the longer term perspective. Survey respondents were asked to nominate the importance of a number of statements concerning the service they received when attending the men’s services.

The factors identified as most important to the respondents were being understood and accepted, and being able to talk to someone.

A total of 92 per cent of respondents considered that being understood and accepted was either important or very important to them when attending the men’s service.

A very large percentage of respondents (91 per cent) also considered being able to talk to someone as being either important or very important.

In contrast to some of the stereotypical views of men as predominantly seeking information and/or seeking solutions, getting information was rated as being slightly less important relative to being understood and accepted and being able to talk. Nevertheless, access to information was still seen as important to clients, with 90 per cent rating this as important or very important.

Learning new skills was rated as important or very important by 86 per cent of respondents.

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Relatively fewer men, though still a very high percentage overall, said that knowing others had solved similar problems and realising other men were in the same boat were important to them when attending the service. During the community case studies, many of the men who were involved in group work said that knowing that other men were in the same boat and that others had ‘gotten through’ their problems were extremely important realisations for them. The very high ratings of importance for these statements in the questionnaire, even six months further on in their lives, bears out the importance of these aspects of service delivery.

The men’s service clients were asked to identify the three most useful things for them about the men’s service which they had attended. This was an ‘open ended’ question in the survey - that is, no potential list was provided and the men were free to identify any aspect of the service whatsoever.

The responses covered a very wide spectrum, with the items most often cited being the contact or relating to other men who were in a similar situation (15 per cent); the support provided by the service and other men (12 per cent); and being able to talk or open up or to have someone who would listen to them (11 per cent).

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Respondents were also asked to identify any problems they had with the men’s service. Most of the men (92 per cent) indicated that they had no problems. Many of the respondents to this question also added remarks such as ‘Don’t change a thing’ or ‘There should be more publicity about the service’. Around 7 per cent of the men indicated that they had experienced some problems.

The problems identified were mostly of a relatively minor nature. A few remarked on the fact that the hours of operation made it difficult for them to attend, for example, ‘The hours limit the good service‘ or ‘When I need them they are not there’. Others commented on the shortage of workers in the men’s service, for example ‘There is only one worker in the area to deal with men’s services’. Some other responses concerned the dynamics in groups, when one person held the floor to the detriment of others’ participation. Several comments concerned the lack of practioners with experience in dealing with victims of domestic violence and with what was seen as unfair bias within the Family Court.

2.5 Client characteristics

An analysis of client characteristics and types of assistance received showed a high degree of consistency with the first survey. In other words, the characteristics of the men who responded to the second survey are similar to the larger group participating in the first survey. It is not possible to compare the characteristics of the second survey participants directly with the departmental data because an upgrade to the data base system is currently being undertaken.

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Relationship status

Less than half (44 per cent) of survey respondents were married or in a de facto relationship. A similar percentage (41 per cent) were divorced or separated, and 15 per cent had never been married.

Parenting status

During the community case studies it was apparent that the fact of being a father was a major reason for men to attend the service, regardless of the particular issue for which they sought help. These observations are borne out by the survey data, with the majority of the survey respondents having dependent children (79 per cent). Almost half (49 per cent) had children living at home with them.

Employment status

The majority of survey respondents were in employment with 52 per cent employed full time and 11 per cent in part time employment. A reasonably high percentage of survey participants (22 per cent) were not employed at the time of the survey, with the remainder being retired (9 per cent) or full time students (6 per cent).

Time since last visit

The majority of respondents were no longer attending the men’s service, with 63 per cent reporting that it was more than three months since they last visited the service. Some 9 per cent last visited the service between one and three months ago, and a further 9 per cent had attended the service within the last month.

Almost one-fifth of respondents had visited the service within the last two weeks. It seems likely that these clients are receiving long term assistance from the services - that is they have been attending the service for at least six months or more. This finding may well have implications for future funding and service planning, when a sizeable minority of clients are going to seek longer term assistance.

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Last assistance received

Clients were asked to indicate the type of assistance they received when they last visited the service. Just under half of the survey respondents (46 per cent) described their assistance as being a mixture of types. Approximately one-third (35 per cent) of respondents had received assistance in the form of counselling or support when they last visited the service. A smaller percentage reported that they had received skills development only (11 per cent) or information only (7 per cent).

Last service provided

Two-thirds of survey respondents (67 per cent) said they had attended a group the last time they visited the service. Some 29 per cent had received individual assistance, 3 per cent said the service was provided as a couple and 1 per cent as a family.

An analysis of those clients receiving longer term assistance indicated that the types of assistance they were receiving and the manner of service provision was very similar to that of shorter-term clients.

1. Department of Family and Community Services, Evaluation of the Men and Family Relationships initiative, RFT FaCS/00/T078.
2. Donovan Report 1988, Department of Family and Community Services.
3. Donovan Report 1988, Department of Family and Community Services.

Appendix A - Evaluation methodology 

Purpose and Scope of the Evaluation

The broad purpose of the evaluation is described below.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot men’s services (or a selection of them, including Men Exploring New Directional Strategies program) in attracting an increased number of and new types of clients and delivering to them the following client outcomes:
  • men’s capacity for achieving and sustaining quality family relationships is enhanced; and/or
  • men’s relationships are enhanced; and/or
  • men’s management of relationship difficulties is improved.
• Bring together and assess findings across the range of projects that can improve Commonwealth policy and program development in this area, and influence service delivery agencies to adopt better service delivery methods. The findings should be in the following three areas:
  • men’s experiences around sustaining relationships with life partners, forming and maintaining effective parenting relationships with their children (resident or non-resident) and their partner’s children, and appropriately managing marriage breakdown;
  • effective strategies for relationship service delivery to men, based on findings about men’s experience and needs, and identifying appropriate service delivery models/best practice examples, including cost-effectiveness aspects; and
  • the effect on organisations of hosting a men’s service, in terms of influencing mainstream service philosophy, organisation, delivery methods, staff training and selection, and so on.

Evaluation Methodology

The evaluation utilised four separate and complementary methodologies: a series of longitudinal community case studies; surveys of pilot service organisations; surveys of clients; and an examination of existing data.

The examination of existing data

Data on clients and service activity from the departmental FamNet/FaCSLink data base were extensively examined as a prelude to the implementation of the evaluation strategy. The analysis was reported to the department in December 2000.

To date, departmental data have been incorporated into all of the interim reports of the evaluation. The data are not utilised in this supplementary report because an upgrade to the data base system is currently being undertaken.

The community case studies

The purpose of the community case studies was to gain an in-depth understanding of the experience of some pilot men’s services and their clients. The case studies were longitudinal in nature, with initial visits undertaken in early to mid-2001. Follow up visits were conducted approximately one year later, to examine the services at a more mature stage of development.

During the case studies, the views of the managers of the pilot service organisations, the men’s service workers, other workers in the organisation, referral and down stream agencies, and clients were sought. When permission was obtained the views of partners, ex-partners and other family members were also included.

The first round community case studies - Thirteen community case studies were undertaken in the first round. To achieve as complete an overview as possible, the organisations involved represented a mix of city, regional, and remote locations and included organisations with distinctly differing target groups and objectives.

In total, face-to-face, in-depth interviews were undertaken with:

• over 120 male clients and a number of family members;
• all the men’s service workers and managers from the 13 community case study organisations;
• over 40 staff of host agencies who are not men’s service workers; and
• over 50 service workers from other agencies.

The findings from the first round community case studies have been discussed in detail in the third interim report, presented to the department in November 2001.

Workplace based community case studies - One of the findings of the first round case studies was that the provision of services to men in the workplace has proved problematic for many pilot men’s services. Despite having strong agency and/or personal links into workplaces the initial experience of many services targeting workplaces was disappointing. As a result, the approval of the evaluation steering committee was sought to include an additional two community case studies which had a focus on reaching men in their workplace. These two additional work based case studies were undertaken in early 2002 and reported on in the April 2002 progress report.

Second round longitudinal community case studies - The purpose of the longitudinal case studies was to determine the overall sustainability of the pilots. In particular, the case studies provide a means for examining the changes occurring over the life of the pilot for the organisation, as well as an assessment of the most effective strategies for attracting and delivering services to men.

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The surveys of pilot organisations

First round organisational survey - In April 2001 45 4 men’s services were requested to provide information, via a self-completion questionnaire, on their early experiences with the men’s services. Separate questionnaires were provided to the managers of the organisations, the men’s service workers, and workers within the organisation who had some dealings with the service but who were not directly involved in the men’s service delivery.

The survey obtained data on: experiences with operationalising the men’s service; qualitative information on the type of client enquiring about and entering the men’s service; the types of services delivered; and the organisational consequences of providing the men’s service. The survey was undertaken in the relatively early stages of the development of the men’s services to obtain a snapshot of what was needed to operationalise the service and the short term organisational consequences of service provision.

The data from this survey was reported in both the June 2001 report (dealing with the first 18 funded services) and the November 2001 report (dealing with all the funded services).

Questionnaire responses were received from:

• 44 5 managers;
• 67 men’s service workers; and
• 85 other service workers from the host organisation who have some dealings with men’s services but who do not work for or directly with the service.

One of the services did not participate in the organisational surveys. As this service utilised its funding across its organisation, rather than to set up a new men’s service, there were no men’s specific workers to whom the surveys could be directed.

The second organisational survey - A second organisational survey was distributed to services in May 2002, approximately 12 months after the initial survey of pilot organisations was undertaken. Separate surveys were sent to managers of the host organisations and the men’s service workers.

The purpose of this survey was to obtain data on service activities at a more mature stage of development; concentrating particularly on best practice models of attracting and delivering services to clients; the learning outcomes of the pilot process in working with men; and the longer term organisational consequences for the organisations which have hosted the pilot men’s services. The data from these surveys were included in the final report.

After considerable follow up with all the services, the number of returned surveys, from a possible 44 organisations was:

• 40 managers; and
• 72 men’s service workers.

The participant surveys

The first participant survey - The first participant survey was designed as a selfcompletion questionnaire, to be distributed to pilot service clients by service workers. The survey sought information on issues such as how the clients found out about the service; their reasons for attending, the types of service they received; their levels of satisfaction; and their perceptions of the effectiveness of the service. To maintain client confidentiality, the questions did not focus on the personal issues of the clients themselves.

All pilot organisations were requested to distribute 50 questionnaires to male clients who had at least two encounters with the service. Female clients were excluded. Men who had attended a one-off information/community awareness session were also excluded as it was considered that they did not have sufficient indepth experience with the service to provide appropriate responses. The views of men attending one-off sessions, female clients and family members were sought during the community case studies. Distribution of the surveys was from September 2001 to November 2001, with the goal of achieving 30 completed questionnaires from each service. Service workers were asked to encourage clients to assist with the evaluation of their service by returning the completed questionnaire.

During the case studies and in general discussions most pilot services indicated that they consider the most appropriate method of contacting clients is through the service workers themselves. The research in this field also confirms the desirability of the service worker being involved in any survey activity. The participation of the service worker serves to reassure the client about the validity and confidentiality of the survey. This distribution method means, however, that it is not possible to be sure of the exact number of questionnaires given to clients and hence, it is not possible to determine the response rate for returned questionnaires.

Not all services were eligible to distribute the questionnaires due to the nature of their services. Some services were excluded from the client survey because they dealt with other professionals rather than directly with clients, or dealt with men who were homeless, illiterate or otherwise unlikely to be able to participate in a formal questionnaire process. Similarly, not all clients were eligible to receive a questionnaire. Clients who took part in one-off awareness raising or skills development activities were excluded. These activities form large components of the service activity of some pilot services. It is also important to note that once the surveys are distributed, services have no control over the number of questionnaires that are completed and returned.

The number of surveys received from the initial mail out was somewhat lower than expected, with 329 surveys completed and returned by the end of the designated survey period. To boost the number of responses, services were asked to continue distributing questionnaires until they had achieved their quota of 50 questionnaires distributed or until July 2002. The end result was a total of 576 useable survey responses.

The second, longitudinal participant survey - The second survey of participants was timed to be completed by the participants around six months after the completion of the initial participant survey, thus providing a longer term view for the service they had received.

The self-completion questionnaire was designed to obtain longitudinal information on the types of services clients had received; the importance of particular aspects of the services offered; longer term outcomes for the clients themselves and for their family relationships; and to obtain a number of measures of client satisfaction with the men’s services.

The survey was distributed to all of those participants who had returned an initial participant questionnaire and had agreed to continue with the second survey. Second participant surveys were mailed to a total of 433 respondents. Eight questionnaires were returned to sender because the person could not be contacted.

A follow up letter and questionnaire was utilised to boost participant responses. A total of 206 completed, usable responses were received. This is a response rate of almost 50 per cent of those men who agreed to be contacted, which is considered to be quite acceptable given the time that had elapsed and the often highly painful subject matter for which the men were seeking assistance.

4. One service had temporarily suspended operations, leaving 45 services participating in the evaluation.
5. One of the services has not participated in the organisational surveys. This service utilised the funding across its organisation rather than to set up a new men’s service; hence, there were no men’s specific workers to whom the surveys could be directed.

Last updated: 10 March 2015 - 2:41pm