What's happening
The Sunshine work is continuing to create joy, with new families taking leaps toward their good life right across Western Australia. The there has also been a steady groundswell of other organisations who are following the work or embedding learnings into their own models. We've begun connecting allies to see how we might support each other to codify and elevate relational practice in our sector.
Timeline so far
Demonstrating outcomes in new sites
Through a mix of philanthropic support, grants and existing funding, the Sunshine coaching function is currently being embedded within a range of services at Anglicare WA and Ruah Community Services. The model is proving that it can be adapted for range of cohorts, settings and communities.
Support for scaling teams includes implementation training and ongoing coaching, regular group reflective practice and access to a range of Sunshine tools and resources.
We are actively seeking investment and opportunities to demonstrate the model with additional cohorts, and to further leverage the place-based functions in the Sunshine model to create even more opportunities for families.
Sunshine can currently be found in:
Kununurra – Recovery after family separation
Kalgoorlie – Elevating a parenting program
Geraldton – Extending individual mental health recovery to include families
Perth – Recovery after family violence
Albany – Recovery after homelessness
We have also been approached by other funded organisations delivering services for clients with complex challenges, to request to use our formal coaching model and case management structure to give their frontline staff a structure to work to. As this work progresses we look forward to welcoming opportunities to train or embed the model within other organisations.
Relational Practice Learning Community
Relational practice draws on First Nations wisdom as an intentional way of working where establishing, attending to, and maintaining empathetic and honest interpersonal relationships are prioritised (Oranga Tamariki, 2023).
The Sunshine work is alligned with a growing global movement toward relational practice. As we have begun to scale the Sunshine model, we have connected with sector peers in WA and on the East Coast who are also working on embedding aligned relational practice models which aim to overcome limitations in the current helping system.
These organisations have all indicated that they are facing common challenges with embedding relational practice into BAU beyond the design/testing phase. We have identified common friction points (including our own organisational structures and practices) where system structures can hinder families from being able to meet their needs and grow their good life.
Through initial conversations, several of these organisations have decided to come together with a collective approach to learning forward, to create the necessary shifts within our organisations and also collectively advocate in the wider system for better enabling factors for relational practice.
We are in early stages of seeking support to form a structured relational practice learning community to address these challenges at all levels of the system whilst also developing shared, codified practice tools for the whole sector. If you are interested in following, supporting or participating in this work, be sure to contact us
Friends of Sunshine
Working in new ways can be challenging however we are fortunate to be connected with a global network of Sunshine friends we can call upon for wisdom and support. These organisations and alliances are highly aligned with the Sunshine and relational practice, contributing a common voice in advocating for shifts needed at the Government commissioning and social policy level to enable relational work to flourish.
Australia
Imagined Futures - Davis Park Precinct
The City of Kwinana Youth Services - The Arclight Initiative
Parkerville Children and Youth Care - Our Way Home
Uniting NSW/ACT - Youth Transitions Model
Social Work and Social Policy : The University of Western Australia
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Changing Futures Northumbria- The Liberated Method
East Ayrshire Council - Vibrant Communities
New Local- A Labor Vision for Community Power
United States
We'd like to offer an extra special thank you to our friends Hilary Cottam, Mark Smith and the teams at Platfform, Birmingham Pathfinder and The Relationships Project for hosting Beth during a study trip to the UK in 2024.
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