In this edition, we focus on CEI's work toward better outcomes for families, children and young people – plus the latest resources, opportunities, and more.
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JUST RELEASED: Scaling framework for education
CEI has developed a new scaling framework for education interventions, in partnership with BIT, on behalf of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). The framework details what it takes to successfully scale education programs – from early years to secondary school settings.
The framework and accompanying self-assessment tool map readiness indicators alongside five EEF evaluation pipeline stages, all the way through to scale-up.
ACCESS the framework
Identifying key practice and policy recommendations to reduce school exclusion
A UK initiative to reduce the number of students suspended or excluded from secondary schools has shown positive impacts on exclusion rates, with CEI’s evaluation identifying key recommendations for more inclusive education practice and policy.
The Excluded Initiative, launched by the Evening Standard in 2020 in partnership with John Lyon’s Charity and The London Community Foundation, reached 500 of London’s most vulnerable children through intensive support interventions within schools.
“Children excluded from school face very significant risks”, explains CEI Advisor, Jamie Rowland. “For instance, research suggests a strong correlation between school exclusion and interaction with the criminal justice system; one report found that nine of every 10 young men in youth offending institutions had been excluded from school.”
READ more (3 min)
ACCESS the report
Driving family service practices that support parents and caregivers with additional learning needs
CEI has developed a practice module and resources, including video content, for child and family services practitioners focused on how to effectively support parents and caregivers with intellectual disability and additional learning needs who are involved in child protection systems.
This is the final of ten bespoke modules which are key to implementing the Family Preservation and Reunification Response (‘the Response’), led by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (Australia).
“The driver for this module came directly from family service practitioners,” says CEI Principal Advisor, Leigh Johnston. "Their everyday experience highlights the need for an evidence-informed, context-specific approach to help them support parents and caregivers with additional learning needs.”
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Reducing policy failure means addressing policy implementation
Across wide fields of policy, there are services, interventions and approaches proven to be effective that are not being taken up, embedded and sustained at scale.
This is implementation failure – a gap between what we know works, and what we see delivered in practice. It is there in every policy area, and it is profound.
CEI's experts address this failure head-on in a pithy commentary, published by the School for Government at King's College London. Authors Jane Lewis (Associate Director) and Dr Robyn Mildon (CEO) highlight the need to attend to implementation if we want to reduce policy failure.
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Deepening how organisations use evidence to drive change
For CEI, enabling organisations and practitioners to understand and apply evidence is vital to making impact. We are invited by teams to do capacity-building, coaching, and technical assistance work that helps them optimise how they use and mobilise evidence.
“The CEI team brings deep knowledge, along with real-life experience locally and globally, across various sectors," says Ms Khairiyah Kassim from Singapore Prison Service, following CEI's delivery of workshops on implementation science and evaluation.
"They listened and learned about our context, and they have delivered what we need. Working with CEI is a vital component in our strategy.”
READ more (2 min)
Evidence of promising outcomes for program to improve oral fluency
CEI has found that a pilot program aiming to improve children’s skills in reading aloud has evidence of promising outcomes, feasibility for implementation, and readiness for scale-up to an efficacy trial.
Our team evaluated the Fluency Focus program, in collaboration with Professor Helen Breadmore from University of Birmingham, for Education Endowment Foundation.
“Oral reading fluency – the ability to read aloud smoothly and accurately, with intonation and expression – is closely linked with comprehension, a hallmark of skilled reading,” says CEI Advisor Dr Paula Verdugo. “But surveys show that only about half of UK primary school teachers are asking pupils to regularly read aloud or explicitly teaching fluency in their classrooms.”
READ more (2 min)
Access the evaluation report
New director, COO join CEI
CEI is excited to welcome two exceptional leaders to our global leadership team: Professor Kate Hamilton-West as Director in our UK office, and Rachel Quigley as our inaugural Chief Operating Officer, based in Melbourne.
A psychologist by training, Kate has 25 years' experience in research, evaluation, innovation and leadership across academia, NHS, the charity sector and industry.
Rachel is an experienced executive with a background in law, strategy, innovation and operational leadership, and a career spanning philanthropy, climate, government, media and professional services.
READ more about CEI's people
Publications and resources from CEI
Highlighted below are recent reports and insights. See HERE for more of our current work.
Systematic review: Effective interventions and practices for parents experiencing complex and multiple needs
With a focus on the most disadvantaged parents of children aged 0 to 10, this review by CEI and research partners makes a unique contribution to the literature. The review informed the “Parenting through Adversity Practice Guide”, providing guidance to local authorities in England, and was commissioned by Foundations.
Evaluation: Future Directions for Social Housing in NSW
In Australia’s largest social housing evaluation to date, report findings include outcome, economic and implementation evaluations of the New South Wales Government's 10-year Future Directions strategy. CEI was part of a research consortium led by the Melbourne Institute, with Culturally Inclusive Research Centre Australia (CIRCA), RMIT University and Monash University.
Systematic review on how best to support kinship care families
This review underpinned development of the UK’s first Practice Guide on Kinship Care, advising local authorities how best to support kinship care families. Led by CEI, with Dr Marc Winokur (Colorado State University) and Professor Aron Shlonsky (Monash University), for Foundations.
Report: "Early education for disadvantaged children: How local action can support take-up of the 15 hours entitlement"
A two-year study investigating why children from disadvantaged families in England are not accessing free early education, and how local authorities might help. Led by CEI, with Ivana La Valle, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, and Coram Family and Childcare, for Nuffield Foundation.
Multi-site trial of youth mentoring
A ground-breaking randomised controlled trial of youth mentoring across 17 agencies in England and Wales. Results suggest mentoring delivered in locally relevant ways can improve outcomes for young people at risk of involvement in youth violence. Led by CEI, with YMCA George Williams College and Bryson Purdon Social Research, for Youth Endowment Fund.
Article: "Scaling what works: If only it were that simple"
CEI experts authored this article for global magazine Governance Matters, unpacking the nuances of scaling up effective policy innovations. The authors explain what constitutes good scaling, cite common pitfalls on the path to scale, and ask: "How can governments nurture an ecosystem for scale-up?"
Implementation Research Compendium
This world-first research case compendium highlights the role implementation science can play in delivering better outcomes for children. CEI worked with UNICEF and Norway’s Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research to bring together nine real-world case studies from Africa, the Caribbean, Asia and Europe.
Youth participatory research: A review of reviews and practice guidance
A set of evidence-based recommendations developed by CEI for Youth Futures Foundation, drawing on 18 systematic reviews and 15 practice guidance documents and toolkits. The focus is on promoting the voices of young people marginalised through systemic inequalities.
Find out more about our current work HERE
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