Evidence-Informed Commissioning: Guidance for Social Exclusion

1. Social Exclusion Task Force‘What works?’: Guidance on evidence informed commissioning April 7th 2008

2. Social Exclusion Task Force • Based in the Cabinet Office • Ministers • Successor to the Social Exclusion Unit • Working across government departments • Champion the voice of vulnerable groups • Evidence-based policy • Mission of the SETF: To extend the opportunities enjoyed by the vast majority of people in the UK today to those whose lives have been characterised by deprivation and exclusion

3. Five principles for tackling social exclusion • Better identification and early intervention • Identifying what works • Multi-agency working • Personalisation, rights and responsibilities • Supporting achievement and managing underperformance

4. Current work programme • Adults • New Public Service Agreement on socially excluded adults • Adults facing Chronic Exclusion (ACE) pilots • Children and families • Families at Risk Review and Pathfinders • Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) pilots • Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) pilots • Research • New Analysis of social exclusion over the life course • Guidance on ‘what works’ – evidence-informed commissioning

5. ‘What works?’: Guidance on evidence informed commissioning –A tool for commissioners and providers of services for excluded groups

6. What is the guidance on ‘what works?’ • A tool which sets out guiding principles in the use of evidence to inform and monitor services/programmes for excluded groups, by drawing upon evidence to: • Help assess whether a programme is likely to be promising; • Set objectives to evaluate a programme or service; • Review progress along the way. • Designed to support and sit alongside current commissioning frameworks. • Target audience – local authority commissioners and service providers focusing on delivery for vulnerable groups.

7. Aim and value of the guidance • Strengthen the capacity of commissioners and providers of services to evaluate ‘what works’ by looking at the evidence. • Improve the outcomes for vulnerable individuals by ensuring services designed to support them are based on research evidence. • Build up an evidence base on what works locally and nationally. • Ensure a desired direction of travel e.g. monitoring. • User-friendly document. • Socially Excluded Adults PSA and FARR.

8. What the guidance will cover

10. Key players • Barnardo’s • Research in Practice • National Foundation for Educational Research • SETF • Local authorities • Third sector • Academics • Government departments • Dissemination and publication in Spring 2008 5

11. Workshops – key findings Method/Consultation • 4 workshops; variety of LAs across England; linked into LARC. Findings • Commissioning appears to be very varied across LAs - despite numerous frameworks; • There is a need for a culture change in the use of research evidence; • There needs to be greater innovativeness in the selection of programmes; • There needs to be greater transparency in the selection of programmes; • Guidance needs to be accessible, user-friendly, not burdensome! • Guidance should be a tool which helps not only in commissioning but decisions to decommission.

12. For commissioners/ service providers What are your initial thoughts on the proposed contents of the guidance? Would this be helpful for you – how would you use it? Anything missing / to be added? Does this resonate with any guidance or support materials you already use? For researchers, policy makers and academics What are your initial thoughts on the proposed contents of the guidance? Is there anything missing which needs to be considered? How can we bridge the gap between ‘what works’ and practice? Questions for discussion

13. Next Steps • Peer Review • Academics • Local authority commissioners • Third sector • Government departments • Specialist organisations • Commissioning courses • Home? • Publication (Spring 08) • www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/social_exclusion_task_force • setaskforce@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk