Impact Bond: Benevolent Society Social Benefit Bond (New South Wales)
Also known as: Resilient Families Services
Stage of development: Complete
Policy sector: Child and family welfare
Intervention: The Resilient Families Program is a therapeutic, evidence informed program that seeks to improve outcomes for children by building a protective network around them. Senior child and family practitioners develop a support plan in collaboration with each family to address the risks identified and meet the individual support needs of the family. The support plan goals are achieved through a mix of practical and therapeutic support. This includes training in the use of skills to manage stress and conflict, encouraging positive child behaviour, improving understanding of the child's develomental needs, and building the confidence necessary to tackle problems early before they become entrenched. The Program delivers a flexible twelve week intensive phase with access to 24/7 support if required. This is followed by less intensive support for up to 12 months to address a range of issues such as parental mental health issues, domestic and family violence, substance misuse, and neglect of their children. 
Start of service provision: 2013-10
Actual end of service provision: 2018-06
Total investment commitment currency: AUD
Total investment commitment: 10000000
Total investment commitment (USD): 9653971.758
Target population: Families are eligible for referral to the service if they have at least one child less than six years old who is living at home and has been assessed by NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) as at Risk of Significant Harm (ROSH) but ‘Safe with Plan’.
Targeted number of service users or beneficiaries: 354
Targeted unit type: Other
Targeted unit description: Families  
Actual number of service users or beneficiaries engaged: 303
Actual unit type: Other
Actual unit description: Families  
Service and beneficiaries notes: In total, 354 families were referred to the RF service from the commencement of the programme, from October 2013 to the end of June 2018. Of these families, 303 were eligible in the SBB population for outcomes measurement. 
Notes: The outcome measures are combined into a composite 'Improvement Percentage'. Ultimately, investor payments depend on the Performance Percentage which is based on the following:
• Average of the Improvement Percentage for each Annual Cohort* (“AvgIP”);
• Treatment Percentage – where children referred to the Program have been matched to a control child (“TreatP”);
• Unmatched Children Percentage – where children referred by FACS cannot be matched with a similar control child (“UnmatchedP”); and
• Guaranteed Referrals Shortfall Percentage – where FACS is unable to fill vacancies notified by The Benevolent Society within the agreed period of time up
to a guaranteed minimum (“GRSP”). The 'intenton to treat' evaluation design aims to estimate the effects of the programme as it is offered, or as assigned, and ignores any noncompliance or withdrawal that occurs following the random allocation. This approach was selected in order to minimise 'cherry-picking'. Final performance information is expected later in 2019. Further sources of information include: https://www.benevolent.org.au/about-us/innovative-approaches/social-benefit-bond and https://www.benevolent.org.au/ArticleDocuments/269/Social%20Benefit%20Bond_investor%20report_Oct2018.pdf.aspx