change projects

Change Projects are a unique strand of our work of research in practice and one of the opportunities for our network of Partner agencies to work closely and collaboratively together. Their aim is to bring together a few agencies from the network to explore with us (over a period of several months) a particular aspect of using research in policy-making and practice. The product is a set of practical materials, an Action Pack, that crystallise the collective learning, usually accompanied by audio-visual resources. These are subsequently piloted and amended as a result of the pilot and finally published as a Handbook.  Examples of recently published Handbooks – and you can find these available on our website in full text www.rip.org.uk are the following:

• Integrated Practice on the Front Line: a handbook (2009)
• Under the Influence? Working with young people who misuse alcohol and offend (2009)
• Evidence Matters: Social work expertise in the family court (2009)
• Leading Evidence Informed Practice (2007)
• Firm Foundations handbook: organisational support for the development of evidence-informed practice (2006)
• Teamwise handbook: using research evidence in teams (2005)
• NIFTY handbook: for non-researchers completing service evaluations (2005)

Change Projects typically have a life-cycle of 3 or 4 years to complete and there are 9 stages involved. However, practical products are published and shared with the network at two key points in this cycle:

There are 3 Change Projects currently underway. Below are a few sentences about each, with the most advanced ones listed first:

Engagement and re-engagement in learning at Key Stage 3

This project addresses issues of early intervention, reducing exclusion, increasing attendance and tackling under-achievement. A Knowledge Exchange event was held in March and the project began in June 2007 with the formation of a multi-disciplinary Change Project group to explore how to implement the messages from research about these issues. In October 2007 we published a scoping review of the literature Disengagement and Re-engagement of Young People in Learning at Key Stage 3 (Morris and Pullen 2007) and an audio CD Staying on Course: Educational engagement and re-engagement (rip audio series 11). The Action Pack was launched at the Link Officers Annual Meeting in October 2008 and we are now running the pilot group to evaluate the Action Pack. The final handbook will be published in June 2010.

'Growing Digital'

This latest Change Project is looking at how information and communications technology (ICT) can be better exploited to support staff to find, share, evaluate and use research. A scoping study was completed regarding ICT provision for frontline social/care staff and further literature was identified to support this. A Knowledge Exchange event was held in July 2007 and the Change Project group is now up and running (Stage 4). The materials produced out of this project will include e-learning resources.

NIFTY  - Small scale evaluation for single services, for non-researchers

The NIFTY Change Project provides tuition, consultancy, mentoring and networking support to a group of our Partner agencies wishing to develop skills and confidence in conducting and commissioning single service evaluations.