Bridges is proud to partner with The Smith Family, a children’s education charity, as they help students harness education, build skills and unlock their true potential.

The Smith Family supports children in need through its core Learning for Life program, which provides students with financial, personal and practical support.

To help team members provide more timely and targeted support to students and families on Learning for Life, The Smith Family partnered with the South Australian Department of Education on a pilot data exchange program. It gives staff real-time access to students’ educational data through a dashboard, hosted by the Department. The project has since received national recognition and expanded across other states.

Dashboard overview and outcomes

The Smith Family launched the Education Dashboard South Australia (EDSA) in November 2021. For students supported on Learning for Life, the innovative dashboard provides a more comprehensive picture of a student – including school attendance, achievement in English and maths, and a range of other data.

Through providing this information, EDSA is enabling The Smith Family team members to intervene early when children are struggling to attend school, are at risk of disengaging, or there are behavioural challenges. It’s also helped staff to strengthen their collaboration with schools. Participation in EDSA required families’ consent, and they have overwhelmingly supported the initiative, given it will help The Smith Family to better support their child.

Program recognition and expansion

In May, the EDSA system was recognised at the 2024 Australian Not-for-Profit Technology Awards. EDSA won ‘Best Use of Data for Community Impact’ for using data and technology to address educational inequality by putting real-time data into the hands of frontline staff.

The initiative was also featured on the ‘AM’ program on ABC radio. The program spoke with Anne Hampshire, Head of Research and Advocacy at The Smith Family, and highlighted the value of using data to better support students, families and schools.

“If we see in the dashboard that a student might be struggling to attend school or they're struggling with their English or their maths, our frontline staff will proactively contact the family and see how we might provide better support,” said Anne Hampshire.

Building on the success of the pilot program in South Australia, The Smith Family has entered into data-sharing arrangements with the Departments of Education in Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland.

Since launching this innovative approach less than three years ago, strong progress has been made reflecting the Departments’ shared agenda with The Smith Family around supporting improved outcomes for young people experiencing disadvantage. This will bolster the work that The Smith Family staff can achieve alongside students, families and schools, and deepen the impact of this work.

Learn more about the Learning for Life program:
www.thesmithfamily.com.au/programs/learning-for-life

Article prepared by The Smith Family.