Developing Evidence Based Practice in a UK Childrens Charity

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Developing Evidence Based Practice in a UK
Childrens Charity

• Sarah Frost and Tony Newman
• Policy and Research Unit

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Before we begina bit about Barnardos
Founded by Dr Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, who
said.

• No destitute child ever refused admission

• Character is better than ancestry

• Every convict costs England .. 80 .. per annum
  every boy or girl taken from the streets costs
  but 16 per year

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Evidence and Barnardos

• Promoting an evidence-based approach to
  children's services since the mid-1990s
• Demonstrate effective good practice and promote
  developments in practice widely
• Widely perceived to be a leader in the field in
  producing what works evidence
• The challenge is to apply this in practice in our
  380 services for children and young people

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A Two Pronged Approach
Barnardo's commitment to bring about, and
demonstrate, positive outcomes for service users
is achieved through
Facilitating the use of existing research
evidence (about needs and effective service
provision) in service planning and delivery.
Supporting the creation of our own evidence
through outcome focused evaluation.
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Two questions for services
Why you do what you do?
What you do?
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What experience do we have?

• Devising and delivering EBP training for a range
  of audiences internally and externally
• Learning from the ESRC funded What Works for
  Children? project
• Developing team approaches to EBP within some
  Barnardos services
• History of good links with academic institutions
  / colleagues and other research use
  organisations

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What resources do we have?

• What Works publications series
• An Evidence Request Service
• The Short Guide to Outcomes
• The Evidence Guide
• Service Evaluations

• A Library
• Access to the internet in all services
• Communities of Practice
• A UK wide Policy Research Unit
• A dedicated Development Officer post for
  evidence-based practice

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The way forward? A EBP Strategy
3 Areas for Development
1) The development of organisational commitment
to and ownership of evidence-based practice
2) The increased use of evidence-based approaches
amongst staff

• 3) The increased access to research evidence and
  evidence-based practice materials

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1) Development of organisational commitment to
and ownership of evidence-based practice

• Some Proposals for Senior Management
• Provide staff with time opportunities to
  develop critical thinking
• Build discussion of research into supervision/
  appraisal
• Build research competencies into job descriptions
• Maintain strategic links with research
  institutions
• Build evidence into service planning and review
• Support effective evaluation of outcomes of
  practice

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The Evidence Guide Using Research and Evaluation
in Social Care and Allied Professions
2) Increased use of evidence-based approaches
amongst staff
A plan for universal introductory training on
evidence based approaches for Childrens
Services Managers to be put in place.
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The Evidence Guide

• A training and learning resource to promote and
• support the use of research evidence in social
  care
• practice. Developed jointly by
• What Works for Children? project
• Centre for Evidence Based Social Services
• Barnardos RD Team

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• Practical experience of locating research
  online, and confidence!
• I can look at statistics without dismissing out
  of hand.
• The ability to check the trustworthiness of an
  article.
• Innovative ways of communicating research
  findings.
• The benefits of linking research and practice
  and strategic development.
• Question why we are still doing some things in
  the same way!
• Research should be seen as real work and
  should be planned into work schedule.

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Application of learning

• Feedback and sharing learning with colleagues
• EBP Strategy development and implementation
• Make more use of online resources to locate
  evidence
• Be more selective and critical of research used
• Make greater use of and reference to research
• Service and practice development
• Personal development and Post Qualifying training
  
• To use alternative ways of communicating evidence

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Evidence Request Service
3) Increased access to research evidence and
evidence-based practice materials

• Increasing access to relevant, reliable research
  evidence to Barnardos services through
• Facilitating access to research evidence
• Disseminating sign posting existing resources
• Undertaking literature searches and providing
• results in summary format

see Stevens et al 2005
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Lessons Learnt

• Need to go beyond dissemination of evidence and
  increase
• focus on application to practice
• Need for good quality evidence based on
• practice experience
• Need to create sustain Management buy in
• Respond to gaps in practitioners skills and
  knowledge
• Address practitioners perception of research
  vice versa
• Translate research for practice or equip
  practitioner
• with skills? Need for both.
• Sustained support and follow through needed

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Strengthening research capacity
Challenges for the UK Social Care Sector

• Creating sustaining Management buy in
• Getting commissioners/funders on board
• Perceptions of priorities
• Cynicism that decisions will be made anyway
• Linking what we do with why we do it
• Developing appropriate support for a diverse
  sector
• Usual barriers to EBP time, skills, resources,
  etc
• Lack of relevant research based on practice
  realities

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Strengthening research capacity
Opportunities for the UK Social Care Sector

• Competitive tendering, New Philanthropy
  increased emphasis on evidence
• Existing expertise and resources
• Links with Social Work training PQ requirements
• Increased focus on practitioner research
• Researchers increasingly understand
• practice/policy contexts
• Many keen and interested practitioners!

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More information from...

• www.barnardos.org.uk
• sarah.frost_at_barnardos.org.uk
• T 0113 393 3253

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References

• Roberts, H. (2006) What works for children?
  Reflections on building research and development
  in a childrens charity. Journal of Childrens
  Services, Vol 1, Issue 2, October 2006. pp51
  60.
• Hughes, M, McNeish, D, Newman, T, Roberts, H,
  Sachdev, D. Barnardos Research and Development
  Team (2000) Making connections linking research
  and practice. Barnardos, Barkingside.
• Kitson, A. Harvey, G. McCormack, B. (1988)
  Enabling the implementation of evidence based
  practice a conceptual framework, Quality in
  Health Care, 7 149 158.
• Newman, T, and McNeish, D. (2002) Promoting
  evidence based practice in a child care charity
  the Barnardos experience. Social Work and Social
  Sciences Review 10 (1) 2002, pp51 62.
• Nutley SM, Walter I Davies HTO, (2002), From
  knowing to doing A framework for understanding
  the evidence-into-practice agenda, Discussion
  Paper 1, Research Unit for Research Utilisation,
  St Andrews.
• Stevens, M., Liabo, K., Frost, S., Roberts, H.
  (2005) Using research in practice. A research
  information service for social care
  practitioners. Child and Family Social Work.10,
  65-75.