Evaluation of Parent Partnership Service

[call me jaded]

I have been in contact with Sacha Powell. She's given permission to quote the following:

 

 

Canterbury Christ Church University College / DfES

Evaluation of Parent Partnership Services (PPS) in England

General Information for Evaluation Participants

 

This document provides basic information about the current evaluation of Parent Partnership Services. More detailed information can be obtained from one of the Project Managers: Dr Sacha Powell (Canterbury Christ Church University College) Tel 07947 744554, email sjp32@cant.ac.uk or Catherine Bradshaw (Department for Education and Skills) Tel 0207273 5813, email Catherine.BRADSHAW@dfes.gsi.gov.uk

 

Aims:

The evaluation has three main aims, which are to:

? map out the types of services that PPS offer to parents, schools and other ?stakeholders?.

? explore the processes involved in delivering the services, and the ?bridges? and ?barriers? to successful delivery.

? identify the outcomes and impact of the work of PPS on parents, schools, LEAs, and other ?stakeholders?.

 

Methods:

We are using different research methods and sources to explore PPS work, including:

? auditing PPS and/or LEA websites, looking at what is available and how easy it is for parents to access. We have also been judging the quality of the information provided;

 

? analysing responses to a survey of all PPS that was carried out by the National Parent Partnership Network in 2004. The survey was a pilot exercise that was designed to record baseline information about the funding, resourcing and activities of each PPS in England. The evaluation team has been looking at the (anonymised) survey responses to identify PPS for further investigation. Those selected (in 22 areas) are either representative of certain characteristics of PPS in general, or have specific characteristics that make their work unusual or unique;

 

? telephoning a random sample of 30 PPS to explore in more detail some issues that have come up during our analysis of the survey mentioned above;

 

? reviewing the literature that has been written for different readers about working in partnerships with parents. Some is intended for school staff, some for other professionals working with children or parents, some for parents themselves, some for mixed groups of people. We are looking for people?s ideas and evidence (from other research projects) about aspects of ?what works? in partnerships with parents of children with SEN;

 

? visiting (between April and July 2005) 22 PPS, their LEA, and schools nearby to talk to parent partnership staff and volunteers, LEA officers with responsibility for PPS work, headteachers and SENCOs, as well as parents of children with SEN who have and have not used the PPS. We will be carrying out individual interviews and group discussions to find out everyone?s views about the ways the PPS operate, who they work with, and what happens as a result of their work. We will be inviting people to participate in the evaluation on a voluntary basis. All participants? views will be treated with equal respect and value and no participant will be individually identified in any reports we write unless they specifically request this;

 

Reports:

? When we have finished all our enquiries and analysis, we will write a report for the DfES. We also intend to produce information that will be distributed to PPS and LEAs and, through regional and national organisations, to school staff, parents and children.

 

She also writes:

People can contact me by email at sjp32@canterbury.ac.uk and if they want to send me a telephone contact number I can call them or will respond by email.

 

I will send her the URL of this thread.

[phasmid]

CMJ, thanks for that. I am going to contact them re my own research (a scratch each others back type approach).

[nellie]

This report has now been published on the DfES website.

 

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/programmeo...7&resultspage=1