Practical Evidence & Evaluation Skills for Policy Professionals
Strengthening Policy Practice through Evidence, Evaluation and Judgment
This masterclass is designed for policy professionals who want to strengthen how policy is conceived, tested and delivered in complex environments – particularly when our approaches are failing the people and communities we serve.
Join us as we challenge inherited assumptions about policy work and reframe the role of evidence, evaluation and judgement as active, human tools, not compliance exercises. Participants are invited to move beyond formulaic approaches and engage with policy as a disciplined craft that demands head, heart and guts at every stage.
Across two half-day sessions, participants will work at the edges of policy practice; where evidence sharpens decision-making, evaluation deepens learning, and policy choices carry real consequences for people and communities.
Your masterclass experience
Gain direct access to Salli Cohen’s deep expertise in navigating complex and contested policy environments and ethical trade-offs
Engage in small-group sessions designed to apply constructive disruption and evidence-based judgment to real-world policy scenarios
Move beyond theory with applied discussion on integrity under pressure and handling the realities of contemporary advice
Walk away with ready-to-use frameworks for weighing qualitative evidence and delivering truthful advice to power
Share your unique organisational challenges in a safe, high-trust environment to receive tailored feedback on your policy shifts
Salli Cohen,
Founder, The Policy Room
Salli Cohen is a strategist, storyteller, and a quiet force re-imagining what policy should be.
Guided by her values of equity, self-determination, and respectful collaboration; and grounded in her principle of absolute humanity, she works with organisations and communities to ensure they have the tools, relationships, and confidence to drive the changes desired by those they serve.
Salli brings more than 30 years’ experience across government, Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations, for-purpose entities, and the private sector, including her own policy practice, The Policy Room. She holds a Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Griffith University), an Executive Master of Public Administration (ANZSOG), and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Salli Cohen
Salli Cohen is a strategist, storyteller, and a quiet force re-imagining what policy should be.
Guided by her values of equity, self-determination, and respectful collaboration; and grounded in her principle of absolute humanity, she works with organisations and communities to ensure they have the tools, relationships, and confidence to drive the changes desired by those they serve.
Salli brings more than 30 years’ experience across government, Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations, for-purpose entities, and the private sector, including her own policy practice, The Policy Room. She holds a Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Griffith University), an Executive Master of Public Administration (ANZSOG), and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Recognised for her ability to connect diverse stakeholders, strengthen governance, and design strategies that deliver tangible results across urban, regional, and remote contexts, Salli is valued for her clarity, calm authority, and integrity in complex systems.
Salli is a Non-Executive Director of Saltbush Social Enterprises, the Chair of the NT ANZSOG Alumni Chapter, a member of the NT Chapter of the National Regulators Community of Practice (NRCoP) and the Institute of Public Administration NT (IPAA NT). Her first book, Rollercoaster: How to be a bloody good policy officer, was published in March 2025.
Key Learnings
Re-frame the purpose of policy as a values-driven & evidence-informed practice
Apply evidence to sharpen clarity & judgment in complex or contested settings
Use evaluation as a tool for real-time learning & impact, not just accountability requirements
Challenge inherited assumptions that limit policy quality & effectiveness
Strengthen integrity & ethical decision-making in policy design under pressure
Translate insights into practical actions for better policy quality & impact
Who will attend?
Strategic leaders & practitioners from Federal, State & Local government sectors responsible for policy-making, legislative reform & public administration including:
- Policy Analysts & Researchers gathering evidence & evaluating complex trends
- Strategic Reformers tasked with challenging the status quo & driving innovation
- Specialist Advisors providing frank & fearless advice to Ministers & Cabinet
- Regulatory Professionals navigating integrity & ethical trade-offs under pressure
- Evaluation & Impact Specialists using data to adapt & improve live programs
- Program Designers translating high-level policy into humane & effective services
- Integrity & Governance Officers ensuring ethical decision-making & public trust
Agenda
All times are shown in AEST
Re-framing Policy Practice
Opening & orientation
- Welcome and purpose of the masterclass
- Setting expectations and shared language
- The realities of contemporary policy work
Session 1: Why policy needs to shift
- When the status quo stops serving people – recognising the moment to challenge
- Constructive disruption: Effective, ethical ways to question
- Policy as humanity, courage and responsibility
- Creating conditions for better outcomes: Culture, trust and ethical decision-making
Break
Session 2: Evidence to sharpen clarity
- The power of evidence-informed data
- Weighing evidence in complex and contested settings
- The role of lived experience and qualitative evidence
- Practical tools for evidence-informed decision-making
Integration & reflection
- Key insights from day one
- Individual reflection: implications for your policy context
- Setting intentions for day two
Close of Module One
From Insight to Action
Re-grounding & recap
- Revisiting key themes from day one
- The shift from insight to action
Session 3: Evaluation that builds courage
- Re-imagining evaluation as learning, not judgement
- Using evidence-informed evaluation to inform decisions in real time
- Designing evaluation that supports adaptation and improvement
- Practical examples and applied discussion
Break
Session 4: Integrity at the edges of policy
- Integrity under pressure: Advice, trade-offs and risk
- Speaking truth to power – flat and factual, frank and fearless
- Aligning evidence, evaluation and values
- Navigating ethical tension in policy work
Session 5: Reshaping opportunity
- Translating learning into action
- Identifying one meaningful shift participants can make in their own practice
- Collective reflection: What better policy looks like from here
- Close and next steps
Close of Module Two & Close of Masterclass
Pricing
Early bird pricing until 20 February
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Early bird pricing
Save $500
Early bird pricing until 13 March
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Early bird pricing
Save $300
Early bird pricing until 2 April
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Early bird pricing
Save $100
Standard pricing after early bird
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Standard pricing
Bring your colleagues and save!
Groups of 5+ save 10%
Groups of 10+ save 20%
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