The SEED Project: research and policy

The SEED Project was developed and implemented in Seymour, a small regional town in Victoria. The SEED model brings together research, policy, and practice to better understand the issues that shape women’s financial wellbeing and respond to them at an individual, local, state and national level.

SEED is supported by rigorous evaluation to document the development of the model and to inform its adaptation and refinement.

Our approach informs and draws on program delivery insights and community engagement, for example, through the Financial Wellbeing Hub in Seymour, and the Community Investment Committee.

Building on BSL’s extensive research and policy analysis on financial wellbeing and economic inclusion, we adopt a critical social policy perspective to challenge deficit narratives, understand and reframe issues to develop policy and practice solutions.

 
Our research, policy, and evaluation work includes:

• understanding how differing perceptions of Seymour interact with women's experience of economic security
• examining family assistance payments in Australia to develop detailed policy proposals
• exploring the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis on low-income households
• examining access to home and contents insurance in the context of climate change
• evaluating the SEED project’s implementation process and progress towards intended outcomes
• connecting the local to the national through policy and advocacy efforts including representing BSL on advisory committees, participating in consultative forums, and developing policy submissions on issues relating to women’s financial wellbeing and economic security.

SEED aims to make a tangible difference to the opportunities, work prospects and long-term financial wellbeing of women. By amplifying the voices of women such as those in Seymour, understanding the drivers of economic insecurity and collaborating with others, we can contribute to policy change from the local to the national level.

A generous donation has enabled The SEED Project.

Contact Dina Bowman