Our submission focuses on sections e, f and g of the Terms of Reference, and draws on thousands of conversations with First Nations women, girls and gender-diverse peoples. The Institute has designed dedicated engagement processes to explore how outcomes can be determined and measured in ways that reflect First Nations women’s lived experiences, knowledges and understanding of success and effective change processes (henceforth, "First Nations women" will also be inclusive of girls and gender-diverse peoples). It is important that measuring change includes qualitative metrics that go beyond statistics, to better reflect and appreciate the fullness and strengths of First Nations women lives, their families and communities. It is the Institute’s belief that the absence of such an approach, narrows the nature of the work designed and invested in to achieve outcomes, often unintentionally excluding women’s holistic initiatives vital to the safety, care and health of communities.

The Institute recommends that the Select Committee, in supporting the outcomes of Closing the Gap:

1. Capture measurement approaches that centre First Nations women's lived realities, deepening understanding of what drives effective change and creates sustainable outcomes for women, children, families and communities
2. Embed culturally-grounded MEL frameworks that incorporate qualitative alongside quantitative measures to provide richer, more accurate understanding of outcomes, including using “signals”.
3. Foreground Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Indigenous Data Governance principles as central to measurement approaches, ensuring First Nations women control their information.
4. Use an intersectional lens throughout measurement to capture diverse experiences, solutions, strengths and needs.
5. Take a systems change approach to the collection, use and evaluation of data, and draw on this evidence to identify priorities for policy change and funding.