Communities driving change: evaluation of an Aboriginal driver licensing programme in Australia

Abstract

The Driving Change programme was developed to facilitate access to licensing in Aboriginal communities in Australia. This process evaluation aimed to explore whether Driving Change was implemented as intended and was addressing the needs of the communities. A mixed methods approach was used, with triangulation of client data (n = 984), semi-structured interviews (n = 18) and client discussion groups (n = 21). Descriptive and regression analyses of quantitative and thematic analysis of qualitative data were drawn together to develop an integrated understanding of implementation barriers and facilitators. The programme reached 984 clients, with the majority from the target age group 16-24 years (56-89%). In multivariate analysis, clients who had supervised driving practice were 2.4 times more likely to attain a licence (95% CI: 1.9-3.1) and clients who received a high level of case management were 1.8 times more likely to progress to attain a licence than those who received low levels of case management (95% CI: 1.3-2.6). Implementation was facilitated by community partnerships and this was attributed to local delivery, Aboriginal leadership, connections with community networks and community ownership of solutions. Driving Change is engaging communities and reaching clients with a high level of need for licensing support. The programme is working with communities, benefiting from the input of cultural values and sharing ownership of local solutions. Community partnerships were critical to successfully supporting clients to overcome challenging barriers to participation. The learnings from this programme are relevant to complex community programme implementation and evaluation, particularly with diverse or hard to reach populations.

Road user behaviour, attitudes and crashes: a survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia

“…Given the high number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people incarcerated for regulatory road-related offences it seems likely that traditional enforcement-based initiatives are likely to result in increased numbers of people with prohibitive fines, potentially leading to great inequality in incarceration 33. Alternative approaches should therefore be considered, potentially including community-owned and led transport, licensing and restraint programmes 17 34 35. Codesign and development of programmes that involve and engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to address risk factors and community priorities are vital to sustainable and effective programmes.…”

Driver Licences, Diversionary Programs and Transport Justice for First Nations Peoples in Australia

“…Recent research has recognised significant barriers to obtaining a driver licence for First Nations people in Australia (Porykali and Cullen et al 2021;Australian Law Reform Commission 2018: 414; (see generally Cullen and Clapham et al 2016;Cullen and Clapham et al 2017). Barriers to licensing include distance (Helps and Moller et al 2008), literacy (see generally Cullen and Clapham et al 2016: 5), numeracy (Cullen and Clapham et al 2016), opportunity (Naylor 2010), access to vehicles (Helps and Moller et al 2008;Rosier and McDonald 2011: 7), lack of documentation (see generally Cullen and Clapham et al 2016), fear of authority (Rumble and Fox 2006: 3), an associated sense of shame (Cullen and Clapham et al 2016), or hopelessness (Edmonston and Rumble et al 2003), and other nuanced cultural (Elliott and Shanahan Research 2008: 21;McGaughey, Pasca and Millman 2018: 187), social (Cullen and Clapham et al 2016) or financial factors (see Currie and Senbergs 2007: 9.1-9.10;McGaughey, Pasca and Millman 2018: 187).…”

The road beyond licensing: the impact of a driver licensing support program on employment outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

“…Culturally relevant driver licensing programs have been delivered with increasing frequency over the past 10 years to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to obtain a driver licence, however very few of these programs have been evaluated [ 6 , 7 ]. The few evaluated programs have shown an increase in licensing attainment amongst program clients [ 8 – 11 ]. These programs are predominantly delivered in regional and remote settings where transport disadvantage is most pronounced, and employment rates and education levels are lowest [ 12 , 13 ].…”

“…The program was delivered from February 2013 to August 2016 widely across the State of NSW in 11 Aboriginal communities of: Kempsey, Taree, Raymond Terrace, Redfern, Campbelltown, Shell harbour, Dubbo, Dareton, Condobolin, Griffith and Wagga Wagga [ 8 ]. The program facilitated access to local services, intensive case management, providing mentoring for young people through the licensing system and provided support to address licensing sanctions imposed by the State [ 8 ].…”