MOVING TO A
FRAMEWORK
OF OUTCOMES
FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE
Community Action Southwark
January 15th 2013
Gemma Rocyn Jones
For the Catalyst consortium, the Department
for Education's strategic partner for young
people
STRUCTURE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Context and background
The ambition for the Framework
What it isn’t…
….what it is (and how we got there)
Questions
Making it real
Discussion and reflection
WHAT IS THE YOUNG
FOUNDATION
•
Research – emerging social
needs and how to innovate to
meet them
•
Collaborations – piloting
innovations in public services
•
Advising governments – on
supporting innovation and social
entrepreneurship
•
Social ventures – supporting
and spinning out start-ups
THE CATALYST CONSORTIUM
WHERE DID WE START
Not all youth sector providers
are:
• Considering their impact as
part of their core business; or
• Presenting outcomes in a
consistent way.
The sector lacks a common language and
good process for sharing knowledge
Not all commissioners are:
• Specifying social outcomes
in tenders; or
• Accounting for social impact
in a ‘smart’ way when buying
goods and services.
Not all investors are:
• Accounting for social impact
in a way that is appropriate
for the youth sector when
making investment
decisions; or
• Asking investees to report on
their social impact.
ALONG THE WAY…
“There is little doubt that good youth services can have a transformational
effect on young people's lives and often play a vital role in supporting both
vulnerable young people and those without particular disadvantage.
However, we find that many services are unable or unwilling to measure the
improvements they make in outcomes for young people. The lack of a
common measurement framework across the sector makes it
extremely difficult for authorities to decide which services to fund.
Although we accept that 'you know good youth work when you see it', we believe
it is
essential that publicly funded services are able to demonstrate
what difference they make to young people.
Some robust but sophisticated tools are already in existence which allow services
to do this, but agreement is needed on a common set of standards.”
Education Select Committee Inquiry into Youth Services, 2011
WHAT’S OUR AMBITION FOR
THE FRAMEWORK?
1. Bold, yet flexible
2. Straight forward to use whilst also reasonably robust
3. Based on a coherent ‘theory of change’
4. Evidence the difference made to young people’s lives
5. Use of a common language to promote consistent
measurement
6. Accepted by key champions amongst commissioners,
providers and social investors
WHAT IS IT NOT?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The answer
A silver bullet
A measurement tool
A performance management
framework
A training programme
A new way of doing things
Specific to youth work
THE FRAMEWORK OF
OUTCOMES AIMS TO
UNDERPIN ANSWERS TO FIVE
KEY QUESTIONS
1. What are we trying to achieve?
To build consensus on what we aim to achieve with and for young people
2.What difference do services make?
To measure the change in outcomes from services for young people
3.Why should someone commission, fund or invest in a service?
To articulate the value of a youth service or programme
4. With limited resource, who and what is our focus?
To target and tailor support for different young people
5. How can we make the biggest difference for young people?
To inform practice and the sector’s development
OUTCOMES: WHAT MATTERS?
KEY TO OUR APPROACH IS A
LINK BETWEEN CAPABILITIES,
INTRINSIC & EXTRINSIC
OUTCOMES
Increased
Protective
Factors
Personal
Development
Social
Development
Educational
Development
Results In
Intrinsic Outcomes
(individual well-being)
Producing
Decreased
Risk
Factors
Extrinsic Outcomes
(wider social good)
…THAT CAN BE SUMMARISED AS A
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXTRINSIC
OUTCOMES AND SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL
CAPABILITIES
WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY A STRONG
EVIDENCE BASE
AT THE HEART OF THE OUTCOMES
FRAMEWORK ARE 7 CLUSTERS OF
CAPABILITIES
HOW MIGHT THIS OUTCOMES
MODEL WORK FOR YOU?
WHAT’S THE POINT?
•
•
•
•
Improving quality – understanding what
works… and what doesn’t
Building confidence and endorsing
professionalism
Learning and building the evidence base
Demonstrating success and
securing/informing investment
MATRIX OF TOOLS
• Confidence in links between clusters and extrinsic
outcomes is only part of the story…
• Consistently and robustly measuring the difference is vital
• We have collated information on commonly-used and
referenced measurement tools
• Information includes an overview of which clusters are
covered; the cost of using the tool; and the robustness of
the underlying evidence base
STAGES IN USING THE
FRAMEWORK
USING THE FRAMEWORK
• Starting with an outcomes focus, based on analysis
of need and trajectory
• Mapping outcomes and identifying clusters
• Designing services and developing the theory of
change
• Establishing an approach to measurement, and
selecting a tool
• Reviewing and growing the evidence base
Theories of change – the
missing link?
“If you don’t know where you’re going,
any road will take you there”
Alice in Wonderland
Slide 20
The Young Foundation 2012
Theory of
change
Slide 21
The Young Foundation 2012
LOGIC MODELS
Impact: the long term or cumulative results you want to see
Inputs
Activity or
Process
Outputs
Outcomes
The costs,
staff,
materials
and
equipment
you will
need
The types and
range of activities
you will deliver to
achieve the
outcomes
The amount of
activity that will take
place; the number
of young people
participating
The difference you
will make to the
young person
DECIDING ON YOUR
APPROACH TO
MEASUREMENT
• What is the question you are seeking to answer?
• What standards of evidence do you want to
achieve?
• What about proportionality?
• Who are you working with, and how?
• What outcomes are you focused on?
• What resources are available?
THE OUTCOMES
FRAMEWORK IN POSITIVE
FOR
YOUTH
• Become ‘industry standard’ common language around outcomes
• Develop greater awareness of the evidence that links personal
capabilities to extrinsic outcomes
• Signpost investors, funders, commissioners and providers to a
range of tools that can be used to measure progress in developing
these capabilities
• Build confidence in focusing on personal and social development
outcomes
• Encourage robust demonstration and articulation of impact
What does this mean for me?
For my organisation?
For my partners?
For my region?
Slide 25
The Young Foundation 2012
THE FRAMEWORK IN ACTION
We are currently working with three youth organisations
who are piloting the use of the Outcomes Framework in
their impact assessment:
26
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN
NEXT?
STAY IN TOUCH:
BETHIA.MCNEIL@YOUNGFOUNDATION.ORG
@THE_YOUNG_FDN
WWW.YOUNGFOUNDATION.ORG
44 (0)7908 010264