Change Project Programme

What is a Change Project?

Change Projects are one of a range of methods we use to help our Partner agencies working with children and families to become more evidence-informed. They are a unique strand of our work and one of the opportunities for our network of Partner agencies to work closely and collaboratively together.

A small group of people from our Partner agencies join forces over a period of several months to explore new ways of working. This results in a set of practical materials, an Action Pack, which crystallises the collective learning.

The Action Pack is subsequently piloted in another group. It is amended as a result of the pilot and finally published as a Handbook. This consists of practical guidance, exercises and ideas accompanied by audio-visual materials and interactive learning tools and is for use across our network of Partner agencies.

Completed Handbooks

• 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)

All handbooks are available here.

Life-cycle of a Change Project

Change Projects typically have a life-cycle of 3 or 4 years, from beginning to end, and there are nine stages involved. Practical products are published and shared with the network at two key points in this cycle.