The National Monitoring and Evaluation framework (NM&E framework) for recovery programs was published in 2018 in response to Commonwealth Government recommendations to improve how the effectiveness of disaster recovery programs is measured and understood.

The NM&E framework aims to provide users with a nationally consistent approach to developing comprehensive monitoring and evaluations.

The focus of the NM&E framework is on government sponsored recovery programs, recognising that such programs may be implemented by a variety of organisations such as government (local, state, and federal), Community Recovery Committees, NGO’s and Not-for-profits.

It aims to assist these organisations in evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency, appropriateness and implementation of disaster recovery programs – using clear criteria and standards for assessing the ‘success’ of the program against desired outcomes. 

The framework supports disaster recovery practice by providing:

• a shared understanding of what is meant by disaster recovery
• clarity about what successful recovery looks like for individuals, communities, organisations and systems
• a high‑level program logic that shows how recovery activities contribute to short‑, medium‑ and long‑term outcomes
• an evidence base to inform recovery planning, monitoring and evaluation
• a set of core evaluation questions that can be adapted for different recovery contexts
• practical guidance on how to collect, analyse and use data to understand recovery progress and outcomes
• guidance on how evaluation findings can be shared and used to support learning, accountability and continuous improvement

It recommended that the framework is used in conjunction with the National Disaster Recovery Monitoring and Evaluation Database. The Database is a key tool to assist teams with identifying outcomes, indicators and activities for their recovery program as well as access past evaluations.