Customer Story: Big Brown House
Big Brown House is a purpose-driven community services organisation providing therapeutic support to children, young people and families across New South Wales. Working with some of the state’s most vulnerable people means mandatory training isn’t optional — but with a small team, tight budgets and staff spread across five regions, delivering it consistently was a serious challenge.
90%
training completion rate with no personal follow-up required
training completion rate with no personal follow-up required
5
regions across NSW are now covered by a single training platform
regions across NSW are now covered by a single training platform
24/7
on-demand access to the organisation’s full training knowledge base
on-demand access to the organisation’s full training knowledge base
Big Brown House exists to help children, young people and families reconnect and thrive. It’s sensitive, regulated work — and the training requirements that come with it are significant. But as a small, purpose-driven organisation operating across five regions of NSW, finding a way to deliver consistent, high-quality training on a limited budget wasn’t straightforward.
Face-to-face training across that geography was expensive and time-consuming. Generic off-the-shelf content wasn’t suitable for the specific, person-centred nature of their work. And with some staff having limited computer literacy, any online solution had to be genuinely easy to use.
A blended approach built for the real world
The team set about building a blended learning model — combining small group in-person sessions with online learning through Tribal Habits. The goal was to use online training to prepare staff before they came together, so that every minute of in-person time could be spent on the things that actually require a room.
The content creation process was a new experience for the team. No one had built online learning before. Working closely with Tribal Habits, they developed a suite of custom training modules that reflected the specific nature of their work — not generic content repurposed for their context, but training built from the ground up for Big Brown House.
“We knew that unless we created something engaging, we could potentially lose our chance of engagement. The training had to meet people where they were.”
The program was piloted with head office first — giving leadership direct experience of what their teams were about to receive, and surfacing any adjustments needed before the broader rollout. The feedback was strong, executive buy-in was secured, and the program went organisation-wide.
Consistency that wasn’t possible before
One of the most significant — and unexpected — benefits was consistency. Previously, the training staff received depended partly on who delivered it. Different facilitators, different emphases, different takeaways. With a single online platform, every staff member across every region receives the same training, the same way.
For an organisation where consistent practice directly affects the outcomes of vulnerable children, that matters enormously.
The automated enrolment and reminder system removed the burden of chasing completions entirely. Overdue training escalated automatically to management. The result was a 90% completion rate — with no personal follow-up required from the team.
“Without transitioning to a blended model, we wouldn’t have been able to meet our regulatory requirements. But what’s truly amazing is that by leveraging online learning, we’re providing better learning opportunities, saving time and building closer relationships with our staff.”
A knowledge base that keeps giving
Beyond compliance and completions, the platform became something the team hadn’t initially anticipated — a living knowledge base that staff could access any time they needed it. When someone was uncertain about a process or needed to revisit something from their training, the answer was already there, available around the clock, from any location across NSW.
For a small organisation doing big, important work, that kind of infrastructure changes what’s possible.
Organisation
Big Brown House
Big Brown House
Sector
Community Services & Child Protection
Community Services & Child Protection
Location
Hunter, Central Coast, Sydney, Mid North Coast & Western NSW
Hunter, Central Coast, Sydney, Mid North Coast & Western NSW
Organisation size
Small team, geographically dispersed across NSW
Small team, geographically dispersed across NSW
Use case
Blended learning, compliance training, and knowledge base
Blended learning, compliance training, and knowledge base
See how Tribal Habits helps community services organisations train consistently across every location
When the work you do matters deeply and budgets are tight, Tribal Habits gives small teams the tools to build great training, automate compliance and ensure every staff member is supported — no matter where they are.
