Evaluation lessons

Project: Getting It Right for Every Child

Period of evaluation: 2006 to 2009

Evaluating organisation: University of Edinburgh

Evaluation commissioned by: Scottish Government

Aims and outline of project: Introduced by the Scottish Government in 2006, the project aims to improve the welfare of children and young people in Scotland by streamlining children's and family services. This evaluation looked at the pilot scheme in Inverness and the surrounding area.

KEY LESSONS

The evaluation found that it helps to simplify the number of points of contact between a family and social service agencies. Assigning every child or young person who requires additional support from multiple agencies to a named professional who coordinates assistance helped to ensure the provision of comprehensive support, it says. In addition, replacing separate meetings between families and agencies with multi-agency meetings resulted in increased attendance by young people and their families, the report says.

As evidence of the effectiveness of this approach, the report notes that the average number of children aged four or under using Sure Start services in the pilot area during the reporting period rose from 781 to 1,852, while the proportion of young people entering education, training or employment rose from 83 to 89 per cent.

Changing Professional Practice and Culture to Get it Right for Every Child is available via www.regen.net/doc