Adapting men’s behaviour change programs to online delivery using a developmental evaluation approach

Relationships Australia Victoria has more than 30 years’ experience providing family violence programs for men, and is one of the largest, most experienced providers of men’s behaviour change programs (MBCPs) in Victoria. In 2020, in response to the impacts of COVID-19 and related restrictions, we rapidly shifted to delivering many programs through videoconferencing (telepractice).  We used a developmental (or adaptive) evaluation approach to adapt programs for online delivery. 

Developmental evaluation applies evaluative thinking and evidence to the development and implementation of innovations in complex and dynamic environments (Patton, 2011). It emphasises learning, adaptation and continuous improvement during program development, and is particularly well suited to adapting programs in response to crises (Fagen et al., 2011; Patton, 2011).  

The evaluation indicated that after incorporating adaptations, online delivery enabled the program’s objectives to be met and positive group dynamics were achieved. It also demonstrated that developmental evaluation was a useful approach to support the rapid adaptation of our MBCP to online delivery. 

Our 2023 article, published in the Evaluation Journal of Australasia, details our method, key learnings, challenges and recommended and applied adaptions. Please note that this article is restricted to Sage Journals subscribers. 

An overview of our evaluation is also provided in our research summary, and in a recent webinar delivered and recorded in March 2024 for the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS).