The evaluation of sure start involved local and national evaluation elements what allen and. Melhuish e, belsky j, leyland a, barnes a, the national evaluation of sure start research team. How to evaluate the programme world health organization. Evaluation and value of sure start archives of disease in.
An introduction to the sure start program what is sure start. The impact of sure start local programmes on 5 and 7year. The national evaluation of sure start and this second themed study. Rather than providing a specific service, the sure start initiative represents an effort to. How to evaluate the programme impact and outcome evaluations may be carried out using a variety of quantitative methods.
Fathers in sure start 1 2 the policy and research context 5 3. Report of the crosssectional study of 9 and 36monthold children and their families. The challenges to effective outcome evaluation of a national. Guidance for the evaluation of sure start pdf 129 kb key indicators for the evaluation of sure start pdf. The national evaluation of sure start local programmes in england. Impact study of the national evaluation of sure start ness has followed up over 7000 5yearolds and their families in 150 sslp areas who were initially studied when the children were 9 months and 3 years old. Focused initially on the most disadvantaged areas in england, the programme was later extended to all areas. The evaluation studies the effectiveness of sure start programmes in england and will last until 2012. Acknowledgments i am grateful to a number of colleagues with whom i have discussed sure start, in particular ann oakley, trevor sheldon, ian roberts and david gough. Interim report on characteristics of and changes in sure start local programme areas in rounds 1 to 4 and a sample from round 5 between 20002001 and 20012002. Sure start projects deliver a wide variety of services which are designed to support childrens learning skills, health and wellbeing, and social and emotional development. Program evaluation hiring and managing an outside evaluator, project managers responsibilities educate the evaluator about the project provide timely feedback update and inform the evaluator of project changes monitor the contract supervisor inhouse evaluation activities provide program.
Propriety encourage adequate documentation of evaluations and a metaevaluative perspective focused on improvement and accountability for evaluation. The sure start childrens centre programme, introduced in 1998 by the last labour government, brought together under one roof services for young children and their families. It is located in one of bradfords most disadvantaged areas. Far too many program evaluations generate information that is either impractical or irrelevantif the information is understood at all. In addition to offering a highquality educational program that reflects best practices in the field, sure start also provides health and nutrition, social, and. Bywater sure start parent support research programme, university of wales bangor isbn 184 220 058 5 2004. Protocol of measures for the evaluation of the websterstratton group parenting programme with parents of at risk preschool children in sure start centres across wales j. Sure start represents a unique approach to early intervention for children 04, their families, and communities. When the labour government announced sure start in 1998, the programme was targeted at the poorest 20% of wards in england. However, sure start local programmes sslps are both a social intervention and a complex one.
A subsequent evaluation centred on describing and assessing. The manchester and salford sure start plus pilot programme. The sure start programme recognised the need for rigorous evaluation and after a competitive commissioning process the national evaluation of sure start ness was initiated. The national evaluation of sure start local programmes in. Sample sure start assessment and 29 program evaluation timeline 29. Getting started with a sure start local programme evaluation users may also be trying a service for the first time.
Nov 25, 2010 evaluations into whether children who were part of a sure start local programme still feel the benefits aged 5 and 7. The policy model government committed to establishing 3,500 childrens centres some in dedicated new. The methods used will depend on the aim and the budget for. The focus of the evaluation was linked directly to one of the expected policy outcomes and a key aim of sure start projects, namely the improvement of. Children in the sslp areas showed better social development than those in the nonsslp areas, with more positive social behaviour mean difference 045, 95% ci 009 to 080, p001 and greater independence 032, 018 to 047, p jul 28, 2011 this report takes the outcomes for 5yearold children and their families reported in the national evaluation of sure start, and estimates economic values for some of those outcomes.
In 2004 the programme was expanded with the aim of delivering a childrens centre in every. Sure start programme saved the nhs millions of pounds. Fathermale carer and male staff involvement in sure start 19 5. Ness also examined why some programmes might be more effective than others. You could qualify if youre on benefits, or if youre pregnant and under 18. The eti report evaluation of sure start 2018 focuses on the effectiveness of the sure start projects to promote the development of childrens speech, language and communication skills and support parentscarers in their role. Effects of sure start local programmes on children. Early impacts of sure start local programmes on children and families. The health effects of sure start institute for fiscal.
This report discusses the economic issues arising out of the evaluation of the impact of sure start local programmes in england. Sure start program standards for social services are in chapter 4. The program itself emerged from recruitment for a local sure start program program manager we are looking for a determined individual with passion, energy and commitment child mental health specialist. According to the 2001 census for barkerend and thornbury, 42% of the population were of pakistani origin, 5% were. Jun 22, 2006 objective to evaluate the effects of sure start local programmes sslps on children and their families. Support what is proper, fair, legal, right and just in evaluations. Sure start childrens centres developed as a national scaleup of sure start in the form of a universal service.
In addition to offering a highquality educational program that reflects best practices in the field, sure start also provides health and nutrition, social, and parent involvement services. A programme such as sure start which both draws on good early interventions, and which proposes a first class evaluation, is a step in the right direction. The evaluation will help find out if sure start mellow valley is achieving its goals and having a positive impact on families and young children. A program evaluation can showcase the effectiveness of a program to the community and to funders. Evaluation is the systematic process of delineating, obtaining, reporting, and applying descriptive and. These challenges were not unique, and as this chapter shows, have been and continue to be faced by others. Concerns about the variability of local sure start service provision and about the programmes ability to reach the poorest families, identified by early evaluation work, strengthened the case for 2universalising the service. The quality of group childcare settings used by 34 year old. Sure start case study hull university business school 4 funding was made available. The evaluation is funded by the british government. Sure start dodea europe, pacific and cuba sure start is a full day preschool program that serves eligible military children and families living overseas. National evaluation of sure start institute for the.
Rather than providing a specific service, sure start local programmes involve changes to existing services. Characteristics of sure start local programmes 20012. Evaluation of sure start by the education and training inspectorate. The guidance for the eti evaluation of sure start 2020 is below. Design quasiexperimental cross sectional study using interviews with mothers and cognitive assessment of children aged 36 months who speak english. National evaluation of sure start local programmes. P the match between the programme activities, community needs and how this was being managed. The evaluation report identifies key strengths and area for improvement in. One of the key aspects of sure start is the emphasis placed on evaluation. A multimillion pound, multiyear, multidisciplinary evaluation of sure start, a communitybased earlyintervention programme targetted at economically impoverished neighbourhoods throughout england.
Sure start program standards for education are in chapter 1. The health effects of sure start institute for fiscal studies. Sure start program standards for health and nutrition are in chapters 2 and 3. Protocol of measures for the evaluation of the webster. The provision of 3,500 sure start childrens centres by 2010, one for every community in england, is. After we controlled for background factors, we noted beneficial effects associated with the programmes for five of 14 outcomes. They argue that the potential exists for more effective and efficient evaluation of the outcomes of complex community initiatives such as sure start, if factors such as those. Sure start was a flagship labour policy, announced in 1998 in parliament. Coauthored with barbara hastingsasatourian this evaluation considers the implementation of the sure start plus pilot sspp programme at the two pilot sites of manchester and salford and was commissioned by the teenage pregnancy teams in these. Sure start has been a sevenyear project to improve maternal and newborn health in targeted areas in india. Lets start by examining some common myths about program evaluation. The national evaluation of sure start ness, based at birkbeck college, university. Dual level evaluation and complex community initiatives. Attitudes towards father involvem ent and male staff involvement in sure start 26 6.
The evaluation of rose hill littlemore sure start all sure start programmes are required to monitor and evaluate their progress. Sure start is a programme targeted at parents and children under the age of four living in the most disadvantaged areas. The twoyear turnaround time demanded by the sure start programme to date has proved very challenging. Objective to evaluate the effects of sure start local programmes sslps on children and their families. Rose hilllittlemore sure start commissioned a research team from the oxford health services research unit to conduct an independent evaluation of their programme. Detailed information over several years on 150 programmes was systematically rated on 18 dimensions of implementation reflecting adherence to sure start principles. Implementation, impact, local context analysis, cost effectiveness and support to local programmes. The quality of group childcare settings used by 34 year. It takes the outcomes for children and families at the age of five years reported in the national evaluation of sure start and where possible estimates economic values for those outcomes. Barkerend sure start is bradfords trailblazer programme, having received approval from the sure start unit in april 2000. It recommended a change in service design and delivery, to be areabased, with all children under five and their families as clients. The 5 year old study followed up a randomly selected subset 79% of the children and families previously studied at 9 months and 3 years.
Program evaluation mmwr, 1999 framework for program evaluation in public health s tand ard s u tility feas ibility prop riety a ccuracy engage s takehold ers s tep s d es cribe the p rogram g ather cred ible evid ence focus the evaluation d es ign j us tify conclus. A program evaluation can improve staffs frontline practice with participants. Evaluation and value of sure start archives of disease. Evaluations into whether children who were part of a sure start local programme still feel the benefits aged 5 and 7. A program evaluation can increase a programs capacity to conduct a critical self assessment and plan for the future. Evaluation of sure start by the education and training.
Pdf the manchester and salford sure start plus pilot. Sep 25, 2012 the national evaluation is funded by the sure start unit. Sure start is an exemplary, researchbased preschool program that serves military children and families living overseas. A quasiexperimental study of effects of fullyestablished sure start local programmes on 3yearold children and their families. As many as 1,000 sure start centres may have closed since. Program evaluation hiring and managing an outside evaluator contd managing an evaluator work closely with the evaluator determine who.
Key messages on average, sure start local programmes sslps cost around. The national evaluation of sure start has been undertaking research relevant to the development of sslps since 2001. Institute for the study of children, families and social issues. The impact of sure start local programmes on 5yearolds and their families.
With healthy start, you get free vouchers every week to spend on milk, plain fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, and infant formula milk. Pdf national evaluation of sure start local programmes. Sure start was a flagship new labour policy and the first centres were set up in deprived areas. Evaluation sure start mellow valley commissioned the centre for health promotion research to undertake an evaluation of the programme. Getting started with a local sure start programme evaluation. The research design of the national evaluation of sure start ness presented many challenges. Getting started with a sure start local programme evaluation programme managerstaff member responsible for evaluation and an evaluator may take, whether the evaluator is internal or external. These evaluation visits took place in november 2009, and form the basis of this. Surestart evaluation report education training inspectorate. Following 5 years of systemic research exploring the efficacy and impact of this grand experiment, this book pulls together, in a single volume, the results of the extensive national evaluation of sure start ness.
A baseline user satisfaction survey was carried out in 2004. Completed text version entrance age eligibility updated 2009 program evaluation 27 observational program evaluation tool 28 the sure start program progress plan 28 dodea annual sure start report 28 accreditation 28 chart. The eti carried out an evaluation of sure start between january and march 2018. Sure start is a uk government areabased initiative, announced in 1998 by the then chancellor of the exchequer, gordon brown, applying primarily in england with slightly different versions in wales, scotland and northern ireland. The authors explore a range of structural, cultural, methodological and practical factors that have acted to inhibit effective evaluation of the impacts of sure start. Speech and language services in sure start local programmes findings from local evaluations partnership working in sure start local programmes early findings nutrition and breastfeeding support in sure start local programme evaluation findings. To assess whether variations in the effectiveness of sslps are due to differences in implementation. Bywater sure start parent support research programme, university of.
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