1. Involving Parents in Sure Start Local Evaluations
Patrick Myers
National Coordinator
Support to Local Programme Evaluations
National Evaluation of Sure Start

2. Introduction Sure Start National Evaluation of Sure Start
Parental Involvement
National Evaluation of Sure Start
Research Plan
Parental Involvement in Evaluation
Some Stories

3. The Sure Start Project
Children 0-4 in areas of greatest challenge and need
524 Programmes
700 Children
Integrated Service Delivery
Ethos
Collaboration
Participation
Parents and Carers at the heart

4. The Sure Start Project Improving health Improving children's learning
Improving social and emotional development
Strengthening families and communities

5. The National Evaluation of Sure Start
impact
local context
implementation
cost-effectiveness
support for local evaluations

6. In Pursuit of Evidence…..
The Evidence Base
Sure Start Objectives
The National Evaluation
Local Evaluation

7. Building the Evidence

8. Outcomes INPUTS Resources ACTIVITIES What is done with resources  
Resources
ACTIVITIES
What is done with resources
OUTPUTS
The Direct Product
OUTCOMES
Benefits or changes

9. Local Evaluation What are the results of what we have done? Impact
What are we doing?
Process
Monitoring
Productivity

11. Evaluation is not just about proving something, it is about improving.

12. Motivation
Utility
Influence
Beneficiaries

13. Research Plan Questionnaire Study Interview Study
Parents
Evaluators
Commissioners and Funders
Secondary Data Analysis
Annual and Findings Reports

14. Parental Involvement Ensures pertinent issues are evaluated
Assists in conducting culturally sensitive evaluation
Acquire skills
Access
Hard to reach
The right thing to do?

15. Parental Involvement A continuum Terms of level of involvement
Terms of motivation for inclusion

17. Some Stories

18. Methods Postal survey of households
Survey 1 – spring 2001
Survey 2 – autumn 2003
Survey sent to wider community and sure start households
Wider community as control group
Analysis of other locally available data
Monitoring data from SSB
Health and social needs database

19. Results 2001 response rate – 53% (2400)

22. What Next? Early days Gains and losses Political timescales
Programme timescales

23. I myself have been privileged and proud to have been a part of this very important report and hope that all who read it will enjoy the read and get something positive out of it