Paving the path to systems transformation in the early years
Established after the 2020 National Early Years Summit, the Early Years Catalyst (EYC) – a collaboration of 12 organisations including SVA – is driven by a powerful ambition to positively impact early childhood development outcomes in Australia. As a field catalyst, the EYC aims to amplify the efforts of individuals and organisations to address complex social challenges and drive population-level change.
Committed to better understanding the early years system in Australia, the EYC has been building its own capabilities and deepening understanding of effective field catalyst models. To achieve this, the EYC partnered with Clear Horizon to conduct an in-depth study on field-building intermediaries. Two discussion papers were produced capturing insights from literature reviews, case studies and expert insights.
While both papers primarily focus on the field catalyst model, their insights are applicable to professionals working in field-building and systems change, regardless of their specific field of focus.
If you have any thoughts or inquiries, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the EYC backbone team at backbone@earlyyearscatalyst.org.au. Your input will contribute to the EYC’s ongoing efforts to refine its approaches and deepen its impact.
Paper One: Catalysing Change at Scale: Features and enablers of effective field catalysts and field-building intermediaries
This discussion paper summarises the key features, structures and enablers for effective field catalysts based on local and international experiences. The paper unpacks what it takes to set up and implement an effective field catalyst and how this approach can drive impactful change at scale.
Paper Two: Evaluating Field-Building Intermediaries: Challenges and emerging approaches for early-stage field catalysts
This discussion paper takes a closer look at the challenges faced by field-building intermediaries and presents emerging approaches for evaluating their effectiveness. It emphasises the need to go beyond conventional approaches to understand their impact on systems transformation.
