Twenty-six projects across the UK have been awarded £20M in grant funding to test new models of tailored and joined-up support for families. Amongst the successful bids to be funded by the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) is a five-year Evaluation and Learning contract to a consortium led by prominent European public policy research consultants Ecorys, in partnership with the University of Nottingham's Children and Childhood Network, Parenting UK, and global research company IPSOS Mori.
The evaluation will aim to assess the impact and outcomes from the programme, and to capture and share learning between the projects. The evaluation team is also coordinating a programme of dissemination to UK policymakers and practitioners, which will include policy workshops, case studies, newsletters and social media.
Lead Nottingham consortium representative, Associate Professor Kate Morris said 'We are delighted to have been awarded this grant. Every family is different with multiple and complex problems, it is vitally important that support and provision for these families draws on a wide range of expertise and services to meet their needs at a local level. The funding will enable us to to evaluate the real impact these projects will have on families, as well as shared good practice and influence future policy.'
For further details of the project, please contact Kate Morris on kate.morris@nottingham.ac.uk
Every child deserves the best start in life, but many grow up in difficult circumstances. Some families experience multiple and complex problems including poor health, unemployment, debt or housing problems; which can all affect their children’s wellbeing and life chances. Improving Futures is a flagship Big Lottery Fund (BIG) programme that aims to improve outcomes for children within these families and transform their lives.