Project History
2010-12
Evaluation of G:XL, a BASIS-funded project to improve support for the children's and young people's voluntary sector across the West Midlands
2011
Teaching research methods to postgraduate students at Staffordshire University
Measuring the Social Return on Investment of West Chadsmoor Family Centre
Measuring the Social Return on Investment of daycare provision for vulnerable children delivered through children's centres, for Staffordshire County Council
Researching the impact of daycare provision for vulnerable children delivered through private, voluntary and independent settings, for Staffordshire County Council
Evaluation of work funded through Coalfields Regeneration Trust for West Chadsmoor Family Centre
2010
Monitoring and evaluation training for Groundwork East Midlands
Researching dementia services for Staffordshire LINk, with Mercian Research Associates
Researching and drafting family support strategy for Staffordshire County Council
Facilitating a managers' awayday for High Peak Community Housing
Training Equality Champions in completing Equalities Impact Assessments for Stafford Borough Council
Feasibility study and recommendations about successor activity for a BASIS-funded project run in partnership by three CVSs in Burton-on-Trent, Lichfield and Tamworth
2009-10
Research into why some of the poorest families don't engage with services, for Staffordshire's 0-7 Partnership Project, with Mercian Research Associates
Service mapping and community consultation for the extended schools service in North Dudley
2009
Impact evaluation of lottery-funded volunteering project at Burley
Lodge Community Centre in Leeds
Researching and writing a publication on commissioning for smaller VCS organisations, for Kindle (the community sector partnership for children and young people)
Research into the range and impact of services offering Family Support and Parental Outreach services in Phase 1, 2 and 3 Children's Centres in Staffordshire, for Staffordshire County Council, with Mercian Research Associates
Research into childcare information sources for parents and carers of BME origin and/or with children who have a special need or disability, for Staffordshire County Council, with Mercian Research Associates
2008-9
Support for extended school cluster consultations in Dudley
Equalities impact assessment for Stafford Borough Council, with Mercian Research Associates
2008
Researching the approach of charities to environmental responsibility for the Charity Commission
Teaching evaluation methods to postgraduate students at Staffordshire University
Facilitation for Halton Neighbourhood Management Partnership
Teaching qualitative research methods to public health professionals, Centre for Strategic Health Studies, Damascus, Syria
Facilitation and consultancy support for G:Up, a regional network of VCS children's, young people's and play services in the West Midlands
Research and consultancy support for the Community Sector Partnership for Children and Young People, and consultancy support for the Community Matters national youth programme
2007-8
Providing research and evaluation methods training for children's centre managers in Dudley
Support for children's centres consultation and development in Dudley
2007
Support for children's centres implementation in Staffordshire
Research into childminding for Staffordshire County Council's Early Years Unit, with Mercian Research Associates
2006-7
Equalities impact assessment for Staffordshire County Council's Early Years Unit, with Mercian Research Associates
Evaluation of Weston Spirit Staffordshire
2006
Consultancy support for the Children's Workforce Development Council, helping CWDC to establish its own research programme
Facilitation of action planning with West Midlands Voluntary Youth Sector Forum
Desk research into models of care for Task Group Four of the Government's Options for Excellence Review Board
2005-6
Consultative evaluation for Bushbury Children's Centre in Wolverhampton, using photo-elicitation - click to download photo essay (PDF, 19Mb)
Consultant to Children's Workforce Development Council working with Tameside, Stockport, Manchester, St Helens, Herefordshire and Nottingham
Evaluation of Change Up project for Growing Up in the West Midlands
2005
Researching Voluntary Sector Complaints Procedures
for the Charity Commission
Working on toolkit for children's centres planning groups, for Dudley Early Years Unit
Facilitating staff awayday for Sure Start 4 U, Stoke on Trent
2004-5
Consultancy support for Staffordshire Early Years
Unit in their preparation for children's centres
Consultancy support for Dudley Early Years Unit in
their preparation for children's centres
Research and development of the voluntary and community sector in Walsall, for Walsall Voluntary Action and Walsall Community Empowerment Network, with Mercian Research Associates
2004
Training for the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
in commissioning consultancy
Consultancy support to Home-Start UK's senior staff
team for strategic and business planning at national
level
Research into need and provision of accommodation
for people with substance misuse problems in Staffordshire,
for Staffordshire Drug Action Team and Staffordshire
Supporting People (Click
here to download a copy of the report)
Researching the World Wide
Web for documents relating to public participation in
the European Union, for the Open University's Faculty
of Social Sciences
Board awaydays for Sure Start
Kingstanding in Birmingham, Sure Start Lye, Rufford
and Wollescote in Dudley and Sure Start Darlaston in
Walsall
Two programme managers' awaydays for Sure Start in Sandwell
Evaluation of partnership working, and preparation
of evaluation strategy, for Sure Start Saltley/Ward
End and Sure Start Kingstanding, in Birmingham, with
Mercian Research Associates
Evaluation training for staff team, Sure Start Cannock
Chase
2003-4
Feasibility study for the establishment of a voluntary
and community sector information point in Uttoxeter,
for Uttoxeter Plus, with support from Community Action
and Support - East Staffordshire
Evaluation of partnership working and parental involvement,
and preparation of evaluation strategy, for Sure Start
East Birmingham and Sure Start Lye, Rufford, Wollescote,
with Mercian Research Associates
2003
Consultation in Dudley with users of substance misuse
services and their carers, for DrugScope's Models
of Care Review, with Mercian Research Associates and
peer interviewers
Consultancy support to Sure Start team at Government
Office for the West Midlands, supporting Sure Start
partnerships across the region
Consultancy support for various children's services
partnerships:
- West Berkshire Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership
- Sure Start Chatham (Kent)
- Sure Start Mackworth & Morley (Derby)
- Worcestershire Connexions and Youth Service Partnership
- The Lock (voluntary sector young people's substance misuse service in Stoke-on-Trent)
- Sure Start partnerships across the East and West Midlands
- Sure Start Blakenall (Walsall)
Completion of "Commissioning Consultancy", by Helen Kara of We Research It Ltd. See our Writing
Page for details
2000-3
Consultancy support for DfES Sure Start Unit, working with over 20 Sure Start programmes across the East and West Midlands
2002-3
Building Links: consultancy support for project to
build links between Sure Start, Children's Fund and
Connexions, in the south-east region in general and
Oxfordshire and Portsmouth in particular, for Government
Office South-East, on behalf of:
- The Children and Young Peoples' Unit
- Connexions
- The Childrens Fund Unit
- The Sure Start Unit
Research for Regional
Action West Midlands into the continuing impact
of the foot and mouth crisis on the voluntary and
community sector in the region, on behalf of:
Click here to download a copy of this report
2002
Assessing the need for drug
and alcohol services within Staffordshire's black and
minority ethnic communities
Evaluating the first year
of the Supervised Treatment of Offenders (STOP) Project
in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire
Mapping children's services
in Wolverhampton
Quantifying likely demand
for children's services in Wolverhampton
Evaluating complementary therapy
project at ADSIS (Alcohol and Drug Services in Staffordshire)
Preparing complaints, disciplinary
and grievance procedures for British Humanist Association
Ceremonies Service
2001-2
Consultancy support for Wolverhampton's
Inter-Agency Working Group on Children's Services
Researching young people's
perceptions of drug education for Coventry LEA
Assisting with research into
services for refugees and asylum-seekers in the East
Midlands, with Staffordshire University, for AHRB and East Midlands Arts
Completing dataset, needs
assessment and young people's substance misuse plan
for Staffordshire Drug Action Team
2001
Review of Integrated Drug
and Alcohol Service for Staffordshire Drug Action Team
Drafting procedures manual
and multi-agency assessment tool for Supervised Treatment
of Offenders Project (STOP), Staffordshire Probation
Service
Rewriting the operational
and development sections of the Practice Manual for
volunteer bureaux, for the National Association of Volunteer
Bureaux
Researching and drafting eligibility
criteria for accessing preventative children's social
services, and making recommendations for their implementation,
for Wolverhampton Quality Protects partnership
2000-1
Writing "Somebody
Else's Problem?", a response to the Macpherson
Report offering guidance to volunteer bureaux on ways
of tackling racism and racial discrimination, for the
National Association of Volunteer Bureaux
2000
Writing "Going The Extra
Mile" - the specification for an ideal Local Volunteering
Development Agency, for the National Association of
Volunteer Bureaux
Researching and drafting eligibility
criteria for accessing preventative children's social
services, and making recommendations for their implementation,
for Wolverhampton Quality Protects partnership
1999-2000
Project management of advanced
substance misuse training pilot in four subject areas
for Staffordshire Drug Action Team
Review of Approved Social
Worker procedures for Staffordshire Social Services
Research into ways of increasing levels of user participation for Druglink, Stoke-on-Trent
1999
Evaluation of Staffordshire's
substance misuse training strategy for Staffordshire
Drug Action Team
Evaluation of
pilot scheme for people detained under section 136 of
the Mental Health Act in East Staffordshire for Health/Social
Services
