EVALUATING THE EARLY IMPACT OF INTEGRATED CHILDRENS SERVICES

1
EVALUATING THE EARLY IMPACT OF INTEGRATED
CHILDRENS SERVICES

• John Harris
• Celia Atherton
• Sue Rossiter

2
OVERVIEW

• Local Authority Research Consortium (LARC) the
  rationale
• John Harris
• The Research Partners Contribution
• Celia Atherton (RiP)
• Sue Rossiter (NFER)
• Questions and Table Discussion

3
LARC IS

• A collaborative partnership between LAs,
  researchers and developers to draw together
  evidence and shared learning about the early
  impact of integrated childrens services
• The partners are 15 LAs, RiP, NFER and IDeA
• The project has a formal governance framework,
  project protocols and pooled funding
• The outcome will be a report in April 2008,
  evaluating progress in the 15 LAs, and
  highlighting key development messages for
  national policy-makers, strategic leaders in LAs
  and for other agencies

4
TIMELINE

• Workshop for interested participants - December
  2006
• Steering Group established - January 2007
• Project Framework agreed February 2007
• Stage 1 development May 2007
• Stage 2 development September 2007
• Interim Report October 2007 (NCASC Conference)
• Final Analysis January 2008 (NEEC)
• Report and Launch Event March 2008

5
THE STARTING POINT

• We are all busily designing and establishing new
  services for children based on integrated teams
  of professionals working in local areas.
• What does early success look like?
• How do we go beyond the standard indicators?

6
ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK

• Contribution from key features of integrated
  services
• Needs analysis, planning and commissioning
• Models of funding and match of resources to
  priorities
• Locality-based working
• Multi-agency working
• Impact of targeted work through universal
  services
• Progress and impact of culture change in services
• Evidence of impact for key groups and communities

7
KEY AIMS OF LARC

• Is there early evidence of success, cultural
  change and progress towards achieving locally
  desired outcomes for 3 key groups? What is this
  evidence?
• What has been the contribution of different
  elements of integrated childrens services, and
  which seem to be the most powerful?

8
WIDER IMPLICATIONS

• LAs leading the research agenda
• Supporting self-evaluation
• Capacity building and knowledge creation
• Models of collaborative working

9
research in practice

• RiP is a collaborative network to improve the use
  of research in the planning and delivery of
  childrens services
• Access to and understanding of research
• Relevant research here by taking the lead in
  doing the research
• Environmentalists who can support the
  conditions to create as well as use new knowledge

10
RiPs contribution

• Idea arose at this event last year capacity to
  act
• Authority to structure and support collaborations
• Bring potential partners together
• Co-ordinate the 15 participating LAs and the
  Steering Group
• Lead on gaining additional funding to reduce
  costs to LAs (matched for research, more for
  dissemination and implementation)
• Rolling out dissemination and implementation

11
LARC local authority partners(15 Local
Authorities from 7 regions 4 counties, 5
metros, 5 unitaries, 1 London borough)

• Birmingham
• Brighton Hove
• Dudley
• Essex
• Haringey
• Hertfordshire
• Norfolk
• Nottingham City

• Oxfordshire
• Portsmouth
• Rotherham
• Sheffield
• Southend
• Stockport
• Telford Wrekin

12
Interest beyond the LARC partners

• Additional funding from LGA, five Government
  Offices with hope for more from two further GOs
  and DfES
• Invitations to present findings
• Interest from Children Now in being lead news
  reporter
• Desire of other LAs to join this, and next, round

13
Dissemination and Implementation plans

• This Round
• EMIE site
• Presentations
• Children Now
• Updates/newsletters
• ADCS briefings
• Interim final reports
• Journal articles
• Possibilities of film, audio, leaflets
• First-round findings at Launch conference

• The Future
• Open to greater number of LAs
• Tell individual stories, and aggregated stories
• Gather trend data over time
• Build service agency power to tell their own
  story (methodologies, co-ordination support,
  dissemination)

14
NFER

• Our current focus
• to ensure our work makes as much difference as
  possible to policy and practice in education and
  childrens services and ultimately to outcomes
  for individuals and society

15
NFER and LARC

• Builds on successful partnership working with RiP
  over the last year
• Builds on our work to date to support LAs as they
  secure improved outcomes for CYP
• We often work with LAs on DfES or LGA, and
  WAG/WLGA, projects but important that LAs set
  some of the research agenda
• As a leading research supplier to national
  agencies, we are in a position to join up some of
  the research. Similar project starting in Wales.

16
LARC research

• Illuminative case studies from 15 LAs
• Semi-structured interviews with service managers
  and practitioners up to180
• Discussions with CYP in the key groups, together
  with their parents/carers and services at least
  60 in each group
• Instrument design and QA - NFER
  manager/practitioner interviews NFER CYP
  interviews LAs or their HE partner

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We are at an early stage

• Wide variation in organisation and maturity of
  integrated childrens services
• Typically relate geographically to school and
  community networks
• Readily available data relates largely to
  achievement and LAC
• LAs have identified some of the signs of success
  or progress we might seek

18
Success client view?

• They dont have to re-tell their story to
  numerous practitioners
• Things happen more quickly less waiting time
• They dont have to keep chasing service provision
  it happens
• Improved sense of safety and security
• One stop shop/hotline access to multiple services