With respect for Aboriginal cultural protocol and out of recognition that its campuses occupy their traditional lands, Western Sydney University acknowledges the Darug, Dharawal, Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri peoples and thanks them for their support of its work in their lands (Greater Western Sydney and beyond).
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We provide independent evaluation that informs decision-making, promotes learning, strengthens accountability, and demonstrates lasting impact.
The Centre for Western Sydney provides tailored social impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) services that empowers councils, community organisations, and program funders maximise the impact of their initiatives, meet grant requirements, and track outcomes. We ensure programs deliver measurable benefits for the people of Western Sydney.
Our Impact Frameworks provide robust toolkits designed to help stakeholders evaluate results and demonstrate impact across diverse projects. Our expertise spans place-based infrastructure projects, educational initiatives, cultural and social programs, and regional policy initiatives.
Recent projects include partnering with Blacktown City Council to evaluate the social and economic outcomes of major community facilities funded through the Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants Program, and working with the Harvey Norman Young Women’s Leadership Academy program to assess its social impact and success in empowering young women.
By combining data-driven insights with community perspectives, we support you in capturing the full value of your initiatives and clearly demonstrating your impact. We measure what matters most, providing you with the evidence to ensure your projects deliver lasting benefits for Western Sydney’s communities.
Current Projects
The Centre for Western Sydney supports the monitoring and evaluations of projects and programs of critical importance to Western Sydney. To enquire about our monitoring and evaluation services, email cfws@westernsydney.edu.au
Indigenous Centre of Excellence
The project is funded via WestInvest (WSIG).
Partners: Indigenous Centre of Excellence (ICoE), Division of Infrastructure and Commercial.
This project involves understaking a social impact analysis for the Indigenous Centre of Excellence (ICoE), as required under WestInvest funding arrangements. It includes the development of a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan, conducting cost-benefit analysis, baseline data collection, and follow-up data collection at six months, one year, and two years post-completion.
Blacktown City Council: Monitoring and Evaluation of Community Infrastructure Projects
This project provides Blacktown City Council with monitoring and evaluation processes to assess the community impact of major infrastructure investments.
It examines how these projects strengthen community wellbeing, improve access to local facilities, enhance cultural participation, and deliver broader social and economic benefits for the region. This project:
- Assesses the social, cultural, and economic impacts of community infrastructure projects
- Evaluates the extent to which investments improve community wellbeing and access to services
- Provides evidence to support decision-making and future infrastructure planning
Funded by Blacktown City Council.
Partners: Blacktown City Council and the NSW Government (Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants program)
Catholic Mission: Interfaith School Communities Program
Funded by Catholic Mission.
Partners: Catholic Mission and the Challenging Racism Project
This monitoring and evaluation (M&E) work supports the Interfaith School Communities Program by assessing how effectively it creates safe spaces where students from different cultural and faith backgrounds can meet, engage in dialogue, and learn from one another. The program builds on Catholic Mission’s Interfaith Encounters initiative, first delivered in 2020 with Catholic and Muslim schools, and from 2025 expands to include Jewish schools along with a buddy program for younger students.
This project:
- Promotes intercultural and interfaith understanding by evaluating how well the program enables meaningful student dialogue and shared learning across diverse faith and cultural groups
- Expands participation across Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish schools to assess the strength of cross-community engagement and inclusion
- Supports peer-to-peer learning through a buddy program, measuring its effectiveness in fostering connection and mutual understanding among younger students
Harvey Norman Young Women's Leadership Academy
Funded by Harvey Norman Young Women’s Leadership Academy.
Partners: Auburn Girls High School, Harvey Norman and WSU Student Success
This monitoring and evaluation (M&E) project assesses the impact of the Young Women’s Leadership Academy program on the safety, social participation, and educational outcomes of young women in Western Sydney. It supports the development of leadership skills and agency and tracks longer-term educational and life outcomes through an Impact Framework and reporting process.
This project:
• Evaluates program impact on leadership, agency, and participation outcomes
• Assesses changes in safety and educational engagement for participants
• Informs ongoing program development through structured impact reporting
Australian Democracy Network: Monitoring and Evaluation of Democratic Participation Initiatives
Funded by Australian Democracy Network.
Partners: Australian Democracy Network
This monitoring and evaluation (M&E) work assesses the impact of the Australian Democracy Network’s advocacy and public engagement activities on strengthening democratic participation, civic literacy, and institutional accountability.
This project:
• Assesses the effectiveness of advocacy and engagement activities in strengthening democratic participation and civic literacy
• Evaluates contributions to improved public understanding of democratic processes and institutional accountability
Acknowledgement of Country
