Research Context & Methodology

2. Research Context & Methodology First in a series of long-term, externally audited and analysed studies to identify outcomes and impact of Home-Start South Derbyshire and to reinforce the value of the service for funders, commercial partners and media. Quantitative and qualitative research, conducted and anonymised in accordance with Market Research Society best practice guidelines. Laying down a series of objective benchmarks that will enable the management of each scheme and the readers of this and subsequent reports to identify the size and direction of any shifts in perception over time. Conducted on stratified random samples reflecting the size and demographic composition of recipients of support from each of Derbyshire’s four schemes. All fieldwork took place during July and August 2013. Analysis was performed on 10% of satisfactorily completed in-depth telephone interviews among families who had received help between 2011and 2013. The final sample included families with multiple and complex needs in line with levels one, two and three of the Hardiker scale.

3. Questionnaire Overall, on a scale ranging from 0-10, how satisfied were you with the service offered by Home-Start? The higher the number you give me, the more satisfied you were. Which one of these descriptions best sums up the impact Home-Start had on your family? No impact at all / Some impact during the period of support but little changed beyond the short-term / A major impact on our lives during the period of support and afterwards. Can you just explain, in a few words, the main reasons behind that answer? Again, in a few of your own words, what do you think the consequences would have been had you not received support from Home-Start? Taking everything into consideration, how likely would you be to recommend Home-Start to others, or to call upon its services again if the need arises? Please answer on a scale ranging from 0-10 where 0 means you definitely wouldn’t recommend Home-Start and 10 means that you would be absolutely certain to recommend the charity. Thinking about sources of support as a whole – the help offered by private companies, statutory bodies, charities or volunteer-run bodies – how do you believe Home-Start performs in comparison to other organisations? Please score between 0 and 10. The higher the number, the better you believe Home-Start does. Finally, if you could improve one aspect of the Home-Start service, what it does or how it does it, what would you change?

4. Executive Summary All quantitative indicators were extremely positive as were an overwhelming percentage of the verbatim comments captured during interviews. Overall satisfaction with the Home-Start service in South Derbyshire, across all respondent types, stood at a very encouraging 9.40 out of ten and was accompanied by an extremely positive net promoter score indicating a substantial proportion of enthusiasts likely to promote the benefits of the scheme to others. None of those interviewed felt that Home-Start had had no impact on their families’ lives either during or after the period of home visits.80% of those quizzed claimed that their Home-Start volunteer had a major long-term impact on their family both while the visits were on-going and afterwards. When examining the likelihood of future use and/or positive word of mouth recommendations, our sample produced the very maximum 10.00 out of ten, again supported by an extremely positive net promoter score. When scoring the comparative performance of Home-Start against other statutory and charitable bodies, respondents generated a consolidated average of 9.80 out of ten, buoyed by another very high positive net promoter score.

6. Scheme Results – South Derbyshire Overall satisfaction with Home-Start South Derbyshire stands at 9.40 some 4% higher than the county average. It’s accompanied by a positive net promoter score of +80.0%. Nobody allocated a score below six while four out of the five people surveyed allocated a maximum mark of ten out of ten. Reiterating the Derbyshire-wide picture, we observed that the youngest and the oldest of our respondents allocated significantly higher marks than counterparts in their late twenties. We also noted that two children and three children families were more satisfied than families with just one child. While repeating the prevailing pattern to a degree, we also observed that among this sub-sample, those whose support had ended within the last 7-12 months were as positive as more distant recipients of help. Once again, ethnic minority respondents were significantly more satisfied than white British survey participants.

7. Scheme Results – South Derbyshire All of the former recipients of support from Home-Start South Derbyshire believed their experiences to have been positive ones. The majority of respondents – 4:1 – classified the impact of support as long-term in nature; having a major impact on their lives and alleviating issues not just during the period of home visiting but after visits had ceased. Most sub-samples were definitive (and extremely positive) about their experiences of Home-Start support, telling us it had a major and enduring influence on their families’ lives. Only respondents in our oldest sub-sample, those in one child families those whose support ceased 7-12 months ago and those from a white British background believed there to have been any question of the impact with between a quarter and a half of those individuals suggesting support, in their cases, had been more superficial and short-term in nature.

8. Verbatim – Impact Of Having Support “We had just moved to the area and Home-Start introduced us to family-friendly places. Our volunteer gave us an extra pair of hands with the triplets. My confidence grew to be able to cope on my own.” “You were there when I needed you and felt I could speak openly about stuff. You helped not only me but my daughter as well. We have both become more confident.” “Home-Start gave me something to look forward to each week and I felt supported.” “You supported me with building my confidence and learning how to cope with two disabled children as well as my own disability. I attended some of your courses which helped me look to the future.” “You made me wake up to what was going on around me and that I needed to do something about it.”

9. Scheme Results – South Derbyshire The likelihood of respondents from South Derbyshire either self-referring so that they may benefit from Home-Start’s support again, or passing on favourable word of mouth recommendations to others, stands at 10.00,5% higher than the county average. It’s accompanied by a positive net promoter score of +100.0%. All five of the individuals we quizzed, scored their future intent at ten out of ten. There were no differences in scoring patterns between any of the sub-samples.

10. Scheme Results – South Derbyshire When comparing the performance of South Derbyshire’s Home-Start scheme to other statutory and charitable bodies families had accessed , survey participants generated a consolidated average score of 9.80,some4% higher than the county average. It’s accompanied by a positive net promoter score of +100.0%. Four out of the five people surveyed allocated the maximum mark of ten out of ten to this Home-Start scheme’s relative performance. We noted that respondents in their late twenties, parents in one child families, people whose support had ended a year to a year and a half ago and those of white British origin, tended to mark the scheme less highly in comparative terms. None of the consolidated average scores fell below the 9.00 mark.

11. Verbatim –Impact Of No Support “I would have had no confidence and been unable to cope.” “I’d have been lost.” “I think I would have become more withdrawn and lost self confidence.” “I think I would have been referred to social care.” “I would have lost my kids… full stop.”

13. Complementary Research Robust new academic research*, involving three years’ fieldwork, published by Hermanns et al at the Universities of Amsterdam and Uttrect, has also demonstrated the positive impact Home-Start’s volunteer support has on families. It concluded that children whose parents had had the support of a Home-Start volunteer had a better start in life than those whose parents hadn’t received support and that the supported children were still benefitting from their positive Home-Start experiences up to three years after volunteers’ visits had ceased. Researchers compared three groups of parents: in the first, each family had Home-Start support; in the second, parents had elevated parenting stress and needs for support (but weren’t receiving any) and, in the third, they placed a random sample of parents from the same communities. The study proved that parents in the Home-Start supported group experienced more positive changes in their wellbeing, competence and behaviour and were able to parent more consistently – it also demonstrated less rejection of the children. After three years, families in the Home-Start group showed more longer-term improvements than those in either of the other two groups (more responsive parenting, less anxiety, fewer anger issues). The report described Home-Start as “attractive to professionals and policymakers because of its low costs and easy accessibility.”

14. Questions? *‘Long term changes in parenting and child behavior after the Home-Start family support program’, by Jo M.A. Hermanns, Jessica J. Ascher, Bonne J. H. Zijlstra, Peter J. Hoffenaar, Majaa Dekovic. Neil Bent Managing Director Able Marketing Communications Ltd T: 01457 869 477 M: 07957 143 450 Skype: neilbent E: neil@ablecommunications.co.uk We’re ready, we’re willing. We’re able.