CRHF Projects
The human flourishing group have substantial experience in relation to a range of research approaches and methodologies including qualitative and quantitative methods, mixed methods studies, longitudinal studies, case studies, and programme evaluations.
Centre staff and students work closely with the Nottingham-based Human Flourishing Project which provides therapy focused on personal growth and development.
Current and recent projects
Midlands Fire and Rescue Services Education Policy Review
The aim of this project is to build a network across the Midlands Fire and Rescue Services education leads with a view to reviewing policy governing practice for the delivery of education programmes for children and young people who are setting fires.
Duration of project: September 2021 to September 2022
Principal Investigator: Gary Winship
Funding body: Nottinghamshire Crime and Drug Partnership
RECOLLECT2 - Recovery Colleges Characterisation and Testing
Lifelong education for people who are recovering from mental health distress - this project will evaluate the 85 Recovery Colleges operating in the UK, identifying the pedagogical aspects of programme delivery.
Duration of project: March 2020 to February 2025
Principal Investigator: Gary Winship
Funding body: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
Further information: Project website
Research into the Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation and DfE Broadening Educational Pathways Programme.
The DfE have made available bursaries for children who are looked after, in need or vulnerable as a consequence of other circumstances, to attend independent day and boarding schools. The scheme is being delivered by SpringBoard Foundation and its partners across England. This project is conducting an interim evaluation of the scheme and will look to see how the scheme might lead to better academic outcomes for those who receive the bursary. The project is also carrying out a qualitative investigation of the experiences of those involved as either recipients of a bursary or as staff working in a variety of roles alongside the young people who receive a bursary.
Duration of project: May 2021 to May 2022
Principal Investigator: David Murphy
Research Team: Michael Adkins, Mary Oliver
Funding body: Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation
Psychoeducation with Young Persistent Fire-Setters
Most children and young people that set fires respond to initial education intervention from Fire and Rescue Services education staff. But a small number continue to set fires. Working with the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue education team, we have developed an innovative intervention of psychoeducation which offers up to eight sessions forchildren and young people between ages of 10-18. The intervention was piloted between 2015 and 2017 and has since been scaled up to meet continuing demand.
Data pertaining to life events and profile of the children and young people are collected and from this data we are able to identify patterns of presentation and potential risk indicators. In depth qualitative case study enables us to advance some hypotheses regarding dynamic factors pertaining to engagement, participation and outcome. So far we have had 23 males and one female through the programme, so it is too early to make confident assertions about generalisability, but early findings point to common factors such as significant family abruption, trauma, mental health vulnerability and absent parents (mostly fathers). Notably, all of the children and young people through the programme are white British.
Intervention outcome data points consistently to efficacy insofar as all clients (bar one) have ceased fire setting behaviour, and subsequently as far as we can see there has been sustained good effect (no re-referrals).
The project in 2022 has some further funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to examine Fire and Rescue Service education programmes, policy, delivery and efficacy across the East Midlands. .
Duration of project: July 2017 to June 2022
Principal Investigator: Gary Winship
Research Assistant: Claire Bradberry
Funding body: Nottinghamshire Crime and Drugs Partnership and ESRC