Using research to support programme development

Examples from Seacroft Sure Start

17 September 2003

Research can be used to:

Steer the strategy Prove progress Tweak the tactics

Plus, help address tensions

Strategy -Health visitor study

Why we did it

Seacroft programme is Education-led New birth stats and contact info was not

coming through Health visitors did not seem engaged

Given the requirement to contact all new births, what do we do about this?

How we did it

Identified those HVs with highest caseloads in area

45 minute depth interviews with these Following pre-defined topic guide Full written report for programme,

summary sent to participating HVs

What came out of it

Initial consultation process left HVs feeling embattled

No-one was taking responsibility for Working Together

Communication and feedback had all but stopped

New HV appointed to Sure Start team

Monitoring progess -Community survey

Why we (first) did it

To provide base-line info for Sure Start Unit

To test early impact of programme

To set a benchmark against which progress could be tracked

How we did it

Street interviews with random sample of parents of under 4’s

Using a pre-defined questionnaire Used professional interviewers (for

speed) Sample of 101 first time, 200 a year

later

Satisfaction with services in the areafor young children

36%33%

29%14%

8%

14%

28%22%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2001 2002

don't know

very dissat

fairly dissat

fairly sat

very sat

Heard of Sure Start?

91%

74%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2001 2002

Wider benefits

Quantified the number of children in area Helped prove the point about monitoring Data show correlation between

awareness/usage of Sure Start and other good things

Provides info from those not involved with programme

Helps promote Sure Start in itself

Tactics -Staff survey

Why we (first) did it

Became aware of issues in team early on, eg to do with:– communication– training– understanding of national objectives– awareness of local services– working together

How we did it

Self-completion questionnaire sent to all staff at home

Reminder sent 2 weeks later Findings presented at team meeting Followed by workshop sessions

What came out of it

Induction pack put together Policies reviewed Staff development programme

instigated Job ‘shadowing’ introduced Team organised into geographical

patches

Research should do more than just collect information