20
EVALUATION OF THE WORCESTERSHIRE
CHILDREN FIRST BACK TO SCHOOL
PROGRAMME
This implementation and process evaluation and cost study aims to
understand the delivery and mechanisms of an intervention providing
tailored assessment and support to families to improve school attendance.
This protocol sets out an evaluation of Worcestershire's Back to School Intervention.
Back to School, developed by Worcestershire Children First, is an intensive
programme to identify and support the children most likely to struggle with the return
to school following national school closures in 2020. The intervention offer includes a
dedicated worker providing support to each child and parent via regular contact, and
using a bespoke Signs of Safety tool to help access tailored support including an
online programme of Emotional Health and Wellbeing sessions.
The evaluation presented is a difference-in-differences evaluation of the impact of
Back to School on school attendance. This is accompanied by an implementation
and process evaluation as well as a study of the cost of delivering Back to School.
We specify in this protocol a set of conditions needed to go ahead with the
difference-in-differences analysis. As these conditions have not been met, only the
implementation and process evaluation and the cost evaluation will be possible.
The implementation and process evaluation aims to provide a more detailed
understanding of the implementation of Back to School and inform future rollout and
evaluation. This will comprise interviews with staff and families to understand what
has been delivered, barriers and facilitators to delivery and the experience of those
delivering and receiving the intervention including how acceptable the intervention is
and perceived outcomes. It will also include families who have not taken part in Back
to School, to understand how Back to School differs from other services, and families
who have withdrawn from Back to School to understand barriers to engagement with
the programme.
The cost study will collect data from schools and the Local Authority to assess the
cost per pupil of delivering Back to School.
Click on link below to read full report;
Evaluation of the Worcestershire Back to School Project (whatworks-csc.org.uk)