Our Watch is an independent not-for-profit organisation established in June 2013 under the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010–2022 (the National Plan). Our Watch delivers primary prevention projects to drive nationwide change in the culture, behaviours and power imbalances that lead to violence against women and their children.

Under the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan, the Australian Government committed funding for an evaluation of Our Watch.

In 2020, the Department of Social Services (the department) issued a Request for Quote (RFQ) to a whole-of-government procurement panel for Research, Evaluation and Data services.

The department subsequently contracted La Trobe University to apply a multi-disciplinary approach to evaluate the effectiveness of Our Watch through its contribution to the primary prevention of violence against women, including its impact, performance and the extent to which it has achieved desired policy outcomes.

The Our Watch Evaluation Final Report (Evaluation Final Report) identifies that Our Watch has achieved extensive influence in the development of the field of primary prevention in Australia and its evaluated programs have shown influence in changing attitudes.

The Evaluation Final Report also identifies key areas to inform the future focus of Our Watch, to build its skills and reach as a national centre of prevention excellence, and ensure achievement of the objectives of the next National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.