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Community Development
and Third Sector projects Current projects in 2013 Evaluation of the Social Action
Fund Policy Research Group has been funded by Cabinet
Office, via the National
Youth Agency to undertake an evaluation of the Government's
Social Action Fund in four English regions. The project, which runs for one
year, explores the experiences of young people who have recently graduated
from the National Citizen Service. The aim is to find out how to embed commitment
to stay involved in social action, especially amongst young people who are
new to volunteering, in order to strengthen civil society. Developing the role of social enterprises in County Durham and
Northumberland This action research project aims
to ·
encourage social enterprises to assume responsibility, through asset
transfer, for community buildings in County Durham ·
increase the involvement of social enterprises in the delivery of
public services in Northumberland The project has been commissioned by the Institute for Local
Governance in collaboration with Durham County Council and Northumberland
County Council. The research will take place over a year, from June
2012, and is led by Fred Robinson and Tony Chapman. Third Sector Trends This longitudinal study, begun in 2007, is exploring the impact of
social and economic change on the structure and dynamics of the third sector
in North East England and Cumbria. The project is co-directed by Prof Fred
Robinson and Prof Tony Chapman at St Chad’s College, with colleagues from
Social Futures Institute at Teesside University. The project has already
produced many reports, available at the project website. Comparative studies in Social
Enterprise in North East England and Yamagata Japan Led by Professor Tony Chapman, Professor Tomoaki Shibukawa (Tohoku
University of Community Service and Science), Dr Tomohito Nakajima (Sanno University)
and Professor Tokihiko Takatani (Tohoku Koeki University), this project is a
cross-national study of social enterprise funded by the Japanese Government
since 2007. The study has involved a series of annual visits and
collaborative research which aimed to explore different ways that social
enterprises have been established in their cultural, economic and political
context; identify how social enterprises produce innovative solutions to
encourage the development of sustainable communities; and to find out how
areas which have suffered from significant restructuring adopt different
approaches to the development of social enterprise in order to encourage
economic regeneration. The O2 Think Big corporate social
responsibility initiative Professor Tony Chapman is leading an evaluation of the social impact
of O2/Telefónica’s Think Big corporate social responsibility programme
between 2010-2015. The evaluation involves a variety of quantitative and
qualitative methods to assess how the project contributes to the building of
young people’s confidence, resilience and pro-social behaviour. Findings from
the research are published at regular intervals to show how the project
contributes to individual and community wellbeing. Evidence from the research
has been used by the Education Select Committee on young people and has been
widely reported in the media. Details on the programme can be found at
the project website. Evaluation of the O2/Telefónica Think Big programme PRG has published the second annual
evaluation report of the O2/Telefónica Think Big programme. The report, which forms part of a much
larger study in five other European countries, shows that small scale
youth-led projects helps to build young people's resilience at a time where
prospects of employment are low. The programme provides young people,
particularly from less affluent backgrounds, with positive experiences which
helps to bolster their confidence in hard times. Completed in 2012 Third Sector impact in Stockton on Tees This project, funded by the Institute for Local
Governance, examined the relationship between the voluntary, community and
social enterprise sector (VCSE) and the public sector in Stockton on
Tees. Its purpose was to look at ways
that successful relationships have developed over the prior four years and
assess what strategies might usefully be put in place to embed and strengthen
existing positive relationships. Particular emphasis was placed on: the
development of commissioning and procurement strategies; assessing the impact
of public sector investment in the VCSE; and, working with local
infrastructure organisations to build capacity in the sector. Universities supporting
disadvantaged communities This project, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, was about
unlocking the potential of universities to support hard-pressed communities
in difficult times. It aimed to encourage and challenge the
universities to use their considerable resources to engage more fully and
deeply with disadvantaged communities and respond to the issues facing them.
Such engagement can undoubtedly benefit universities as well as communities.
A comprehensive questionnaire survey of all universities in the UK has been
undertaken (85% return), followed by in-depth case studies of 30
universities. The research sought out good practice and identified
barriers and opportunities. The project was led by Fred Robinson, supported
by Ian Zass-Ogilvie and Ray Hudson, the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor.
The report is available on the JRF website. Survival analysis of social
ventures created by UnLtd award winners This report analysed survey data for support provider UnLtd, to determine rates of survival for assisted
clients, and the reasons why some had ceased their involvement with the
social enterprise. In practical policy
terms, the results describe whether there are dropout points for social
entrepreneurs and when timings for follow-up intervention are appropriate, as
well as what balance of resources deliver the best investment in terms of
sustainability. Completed in 2011 Business support for social enterprises On behalf of BIS and the Office for Civil Society, the PRG team
undertook a substantial study of the support needs of the Social Enterprise
sector. It involved engaging closely with 32 organisations over a period of
12 months, in order to fully understand how their business model operates in
relation to their business and social objectives. The research focused
very closely on the particular issues faced by business throughout the study
period and recorded how businesses found solutions, including their use of
business support. The report detailed informal and formal inputs from staff,
directors, mentors, other businesses, state-sponsored support, as well as
paid for assistance and their relative contributions towards achieving
business and social outcomes. The research also considered how social
enterprises were themselves providers of support for their peer group and set
delivery in the context of public sector reorganisation and funding cuts, and
the ‘Big Society. The report can be downloaded here.
Youth Achievement Foundations
Evaluation Undertaken by Professor Tony Chapman and Dr Peter van der Graaf (of
Teesside University), this three year project was funded by the Department
for Children, Schools and Families and ran from 2007-2011. The research
involved an action-based research evaluation of the Youth Achievement
Foundation programme which is being led by UK Youth. The programme combined
UK Youth’s Youth Achievement Award and an innovative approach to alternative
education provision for young people by 7KS Enterprise College - an
independent education provider. The final research report focused on the positive
impact of the programme in terms of young people’s attendance, commitment to
vocational training and pro-sociality. Completed in 2010 Regeneration in Greater Eston In collaboration with researchers from Northumbria University, Fred
Robinson and Paul Braidford undertook a pilot project on behalf of the
Institute for Local Governance to develop a methodology to evaluate the
impact of a regeneration project over a 25-year period. Focusing on the
Greater Eston estate in Teesside, the project established a baseline and
metrics for benchmarking future progress, and recommend ways to ensure that
the evaluation continues for the full 25 year period. Taking forward total place: engaging the third sector in service
delivery Professor Tony Chapman, with Dr Peter van der Graaf, Dr Victoria Bell,
Graeme Oram, CEO Five Lamps Organisation, Allison Agius, CEO Catalyst. This
project involved analysis of evaluation reports on Total Place pilots, funded
by Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership and the Institute for
Local Governance in 2010. The analysis was used to inform a half day workshop
on the third sector involvement in new place-based approaches to service
delivery. Completed in 2009 Participation in the Media: People with Experience of
Poverty Tackling poverty in the UK relies heavily on creating a groundswell of
public opinion which supports the need for public policy intervention.
Public awareness of why people are poor, what that means and what its
consequences are, can generate demand for action and change. The media has a
crucial and influential role to play in this process. This research
examines how people with experience of poverty can have a more effective
voice in the media, in time helping to develop better informed public opinion
in support of action to eradicate poverty. Young people’s workforce third sector
capacity building programme: A feasibility study Led by Professor Tony Chapman, Dr Peter van der
Graaf (Teesside University), John Bateman (UK Youth), Diane Evans (National
Youth Agency). The Aiming High for Young People strategy set an ambitious goal
to develop a skilled and confident workforce which can deliver the most
effective practice to improve young people’s outcomes. Government recognised
that the third sector has an important role to play in the delivery of
services to young people, but acknowledged that involving the Third Sector in
meeting this agenda may present particular challenges. This programme of
research aimed to find out what challenges the third sector faced and make
concrete proposals for the training and accreditation of the youth sector
work force. The final report was submitted to CWDC in 2009. Completed in 2008 The Shape of the Voluntary and
Community Sector in North Yorkshire and City of York Professor Tony Chapman was commissioned by North
Yorkshire Forum for Voluntary Organisations in 2007 to undertake a
quantitative study of the voluntary and community sector (VCS). The aim of
the research was to replicate aspects of an earlier study on the VCS in North
Yorkshire and City of York in 2001 by Leeds Metropolitan University to assess
the extent to which the shape and structure of the sector has changed over
the last seven years. The findings from the survey, which involved 400 organisations was published in
2008. Durham University Phoenix Programme PRG members completed a scoping study for a
programme of University engagement in community regeneration and renewal in
County Durham and Tees Valley. This work, which relates to an
innovative development of the University’s approach to outreach activity, was
carried out for the University, with support from One NorthEast. Implementation of the Phoenix Programme is now underway and Fred Robinson serves as an
advisor. Completed in 2007 Years ahead task group on
demographic ageing Professor Tony Chapman chaired a study group and
provided research support funded by Institute for Ageing and Health, Wolfson
Research Centre, Newcastle General Hospital. The demographic ageing task
group was asked to examine the following issues: the evidence base on
demographic ageing in the North East; provide key indicators on demographic
change 2004-2029; explore the social, economic, cultural and political
consequences of demographic ageing; and provide a summary report on implications of demographic ageing for public policy. The impact of UK Youth Achievement
Awards on young people's perceptions of positive life choices Professor Tony Chapman led an evaluation of UK Youth’s Youth
Achievement Awards in 2007, funded by The Drinkaware Trust and JP Morgan
Philanthropy. Youth Achievement Awards were introduced nationally in 1997 and
are an activity-based approach to peer education. The awards were designed to
help develop more effective participative practice by encouraging young
people to take more responsibility in selecting, planning and leading
activities that are based on their interests. The final report, Small Steps and Giant Leaps, emphasised the importance of recognising the value of
non-conventional educational practices, especially for young people who had
been marginalised or excluded from conventional education. Completed in 2006 Third Sector Research Centre Members of the team advised and supported the
Cabinet Office (Office of the Third Sector) on the establishment of a £10m
Third Sector Research Centre, producing the scoping document underpinning the process and
sitting on the ESRC Commissioning Panel. This followed PRG’s 2006 study for
the Treasury on the growth of successful social enterprises, which examined
how such organisations overcome problems they faced at each stage of growth.
Their research demonstrated that pursuit of growth involves few compromises
for organisations, in either their social or environmental aims. Impact of the Changing Funding
Environment on the Voluntary and Community Sector Professor Tony Chapman led a study, funded by
Government Office North East to support the work of the Voluntary and
Community Sector Task Force in 2006. The study involved a survey of third
sector organisations across North East England and informed the work of the
task force which was attempting to assess the potential impact of a predicted
loss of up to £50m in resources following the European Union regional
development and social funding. Researching the Impact of Major Skills Issues in the Tees Valley Professor Tony Chapman led a wide-ranging study, funded by the
European Social Fund for the Learning and Skills Council to explore changing
skills needs across Tees Valley. The results demonstrated that Tees Valley
faces significant challenges over the next 10 years and made specific
proposals for developments at a sub-regional and industrial sector strategic
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