Why do we need evidence?

Building an evidence base of impact:Examples from FLIFClare MeadeNIACE Acting Programme Director Family Learning16th July 2009

To improve and develop provision to meet the needs of learners Demonstrate effectiveness Ensure family Learning is recognised as contributing to agendas and targets Why do we need evidence?

Qualitative and quantitative data National large scale research projects Local research and evaluations Practitioner research, evaluation Case studies What do we mean by evidence?

Think family Families at risk and fathers 21st Century Schools White Paper Parent contracts and engagement School report cards, ICT and home access Digital Britain Early intervention- long term solution Building Britain’s Future Parenting agenda Evidence based programmes Changing political and economic situation Locality agenda Policy drivers

FLIF funding, allocated over three years by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) under the Children’s Plan. Target audiences: Families at risk and fathers Strands of provision in the FLIF programme: Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Family Numeracy Family Financial Capability Schools Information for Parents (SIP) and Family ICT Wider Family Learning Data collection What is FLIF?

FLIF Priority Groups • Fathers – currently only 10% of provision appears to be reaching fathers and male carers • Families at risk – around 2% of families or 140,000 families across Britain experience complex and multiple problems

Multiple problems (the basket ofdisadvantage) include 5 or more of the following: • No parents in the family are in work • Family lives in poor quality or overcrowded housing • No parent has any qualifications • Mother has mental health problems • At least one parent has a longstanding limiting illness, disability or infirmity • Family has low income • Family cannot afford a number of food and clothing items Reaching out: Think Family, Cabinet Office November 2007

fathers / male carers; grandparents; bi-lingual learners; lone parents; offenders and ex-offenders; unemployed learners; learners in part-time employment; learners who were caring for other family members as well as their children; foster carers; parents of children persistently absent from school; parents with mental health issues; parents with long-term illness/disability; children with older siblings who had language delay; army families; people with learning difficulties; Black and Minority Ethnic families. Families reached through FLIF fundingincluded

Learning to sail recruited 50% fathers. Both adults and children, gained sailing qualifications. Family Science course, in partnership with a local voluntary organisation who specialised in science and engineering apprenticeships. Many complex family issues, including coping with children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or similar. Weekend residential course which included sports and arts activities Innovative courses were designed to attract fathers

Co-facilitated a programme with the Youth Intensive Support (YIS) team, with families who had a significant breakdown in relationships. ‘Leading Sports’ course in an area of high deprivation. One of the fathers on the course had been banned from his child’s school and a neutral venue enabled him to take part. Families at risk

Increase in confidence in handling and communicating with child for a learner who had a child with a life threatening illness and who did not go out of the house. Fathers who attended a Family Numeracy programme became more actively involved in the school, several attending reading sessions with the children as part of the Reading Champions campaign. Examples of progress

One learner reported she had gained the skills to calculate her timesheet at work, “because I couldn’t work out how many hours I had worked and wanted to make sure that I was paid right.” Working with homeless group – success factors: very supportive case worker, empathetic tutor, no “outsiders”, now grown to 17 people on register Grow great grub – reaches dads; secondary school (especially those on the edge of mainstream schooling)

On your tables share examples of evidence of effective provision. Identify what else you could do to capture evidence. Sharing good practice

FLIF – Challenges Need time for development – creative thinkersChild protection more significantDysfunctional lifestylesMaking partnerships work

Support in and from the field Training and support Family Numeracy, Family Financial capability, WFL, Schools Information and Family ICT Gathering data, measuring and collecting evidence of progress and progression Keep raising the profile The learning family Next steps

For more information: http://www.niace.org.uk/development-and-research/programmes-of-work/family-learning http://www.niace.org.uk/development-research/family-impact-findings http://skillsforfamilies.excellencegateway.org.uk/ Contact Details: clare.meade@niace.org.uk mandy.thomas@niace.org.uk karen.cholmeley@niace.org.uk

Why do we need evidence?