Leading the qualitative research, we will employ a Theory of Change approach in evaluating the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) Child Poverty Pilot to deliver improved services for separating parents.
In partnership with Bryson Purdon Social Research (BPSR) and British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) The Tavistock Institute has been commissioned by the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) to undertake the evaluation of a Child Poverty Pilot.
The pilot constitutes ten projects in England created to better coordinate support and services for parents who are separating or have recently separated with the aim of improving outcomes for their children. It is one of a number of pilots being funded under the Government’s commitment to tackle child poverty. The projects are led either by third sector organisations with expertise in relationship support, or by local authorities working in partnership with third sector organisations.
The evaluation will run until March 2011, continuing for the full length that the pilots are delivering services and will employ both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The Tavistock Institute will lead the qualitative research while BPSR and BMRB will focus on the survey. We will seek to uncover how the different pilots approach their task, how successful they are in supporting families and what can be done to improve such services in the future. In the design of this evaluation we have drawn on research we completed in 2009 for the Fatherhood Institute on statutory service availability for non-resident parents. We will employ a Theory of Change approach to the qualitative research, which involves developing with the service providers a model of how and why they expect the activities undertaken by the pilots to achieve their aims and then testing outcomes against these models. In addition we will use in-depth interviews with both service providers and the families that access the pilots.
For more information on the evaluation of the Child Poverty Pilots, please contact Judy Corlyon, or Laura Stock, telephone +44 (0) 207 417 0407.