The Wales College 2004-2007

Final evaluation for the Heads of Children and Family Services Forum

Report prepared by Celia Atherton (Director) and Rhiannon Hodson (Associate)                                    

Summary

This report evaluates the work and outcomes of the Wales College in its first three years, and makes proposals for how it could continue to support the improvement agenda within each of the 22 Authorities. The Wales College is run by research in practice, a practice-improvement initiative started ten years ago in England as a partnership between the ADCS and the Dartington Hall Trust.

Membership of the Wales College has provided each Authority with the opportunity to participate in two Development Groups. These aimed to improve awareness of research on a key topic and support participants to apply this learning to their practice. The focus of the first group in 2005 was family support whilst the second group in 2006 centred on the reunification of looked after children with their families. In addition, every Authority has also received a quarterly mailing of research publications, including bilingual briefings written specifically for councillors, and others written for managers/practitioners in support of key objectives of the Children First initiative. All the publications and Development Group materials have been placed on the research in practice website to maximise their dissemination and use. In November 2006, the SSIA separately commissioned research in practice to run a residential meeting for the Link Officers in each Authority. The purpose was to help Link Officers to better understand the aims of the Wales College and their role in supporting their agency to make the most of the benefits offered.

The quality and impact of these individual strands of work have been evaluated. Attendance at both the 2005 and 2006 Development Groups was disappointing with only 57% of available places being taken up. However, the standard of the materials and the facilitation were both rated as very high, and those who did attend reported significant benefits (for themselves personally, and for their team and agency). Publications were valued highly by those consulted but more work needs to go into their systematic dissemination to ensure front-line practitioners and councillors are routinely seeing the materials. The 24-hour Link Officers’ meeting was highly rated. Some Link Officers wanted senior managers within their agencies to demonstrate greater appreciation of, and leadership around, the importance of the evidence-informed practice agenda, the implications in terms of time and resources, and of their role in promoting this way of working.
 
The evaluation tells a compelling story:

• of the collective will to improve practice by professionals and, thereby, outcomes for children and families
• of the challenges of limited capacity, most especially on the front-line
• of the imperative to set evidence-informed practice at the heart of improvement rather than an optional add-on; and
• of the importance of seeing these developments as stages on a journey – as foundations upon which much can now be built.

The 22 Authorities in Wales face particular improvement challenges which continuation of the Wales College could help to address, most particularly if the College is set within the wider strategic framework. There is good potential for this, both from the leadership available within the Heads of Service group and from the already close connection between the SSIA and the Wales College. Services in the Wales College can both build on the research, policy and practice experience and expertise gained within England over the last ten years and be tailored to meet specific needs within Wales.

The Wales College is in an excellent position to develop in ways that both appreciate the capacity issues within Wales and also contribute to capacity building. The specific proposals set out on pages 9 to 12 in this report are based on continued close planning with and support from the Heads of Children’s Service group and the SSIA. If they are agreed in outline then work will take place over the next three months on the fine detail of the contract.

The full report can be downloaded from here: Word document (new window)