Family Valued Model – Trial Evaluation

Part of the Department for Education’s Strengthening Families, Protecting Children (SFPC) Programme

Family Valued Model – Trial Evaluation

Summary

This protocol summarises plans for evaluating the Family Valued model roll-out in five local authorities in England.

Who, what, why and how?

As part of the Department for Education (DfE) funded Strengthening Families, Protecting Children (SFPC) programme, we are evaluating the roll-out of the Family Valued Model in five local authorities: Warwickshire, Newcastle, Coventry, Solihull and Sefton.

We are using a stepped wedge cluster Randomised Control Trial (RCT) design for the impact evaluation, which means that local authorities start delivering the model at different times and all the local authorities in the sample will eventually implement the Family Valued model. Randomising the start date will allow local authorities that have not yet implemented the programme to act as a control group against service in local authorities where Family Valued has already been implemented. The first local authority started implementing Family Valued in Spring 2020, with other local authorities following in 6-month intervals.

Alongside the impact evaluation, there will also be an implementation and process evaluation across the five local authorities, to understand the delivery during the rollout of the model.

Developed in Leeds, Family Valued is a model for supporting a whole-scale shift to restorative practice, changing service-wide ways of working with children and families so that support is done ‘with’ them, not ‘to’ them. The programme involves:

  • introductory awareness raising, or deep dive training on restorative practice for all levels of staff in children’s services and their partner agencies working with children, families and communities (such as health and education), including training for leadership and management.
  • review and reform of systems and structures in children’s social care to ensure they optimise relationships with partners and restorative practice with families.
  • offering Family Group Conferences (FGCs) to families, as an alternative to child protection conferences, to reduce entry to care and support reunification.
  • newly-commissioned restorative services to address gaps in provision and act on the outcomes of FGCs.

Research Questions

Impact Evaluation

The primary evaluation question of the RCT is:

  • What is the impact of Family Valued on the likelihood of children becoming looked after?

 

There are also six secondary questions, relating to changes in:

  1. the likelihood of children having their plan closed and then returning to statutory services
  2. the likelihood of children progressing to a CPP
  3. time spent on CPP or CIN plans
  4. the likelihood of children looked after entering kinship care
  5. the likelihood of children looked after being reunited with their families
  6. unauthorised school absence rates of children referred to children’s social care

 

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and associated changes to programme delivery, our original stepped wedge design is likely to be weakened. As a result, we are adding a supplementary matched difference-in-differences (DiD) analysis to the current research design. The changes to programme delivery have also delayed some of the data collection but no significant changes to the final timelines are expected.

Implementation and Process Evaluation (IPE)

The IPE will assess how the model is delivered across the local authorities and identify any elements of successful delivery, as well as improving the understanding of the model.

Delivery Partners

Leeds County Council

Due Date

This project is due to be completed by February 2026.
SHARE

Trial protocol – IPE & RCT

Download

Trial protocol – DiD analysis

Download

Privacy Notice

Download

Related Projects

See all projects

Strengthening Family Networks

Family Group Conferences: Service design & family experience

Learn More

Strengthening Family Networks

Let’s Connect Fostering Communities

Learn More
Alliance House
Third Floor
12 Caxton Street
Westminster
London
SW1H 0QS
Linkedin
About Us
Our Strategy
Priority Areas
Our Team
Join our team
EDIE
Our Partners
Our Work
Publications
Tools
Current Projects
Opportunities
Funding
Other Opportunities
News & Blogs
Events & Webinars
Press
Contact
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
Data Archive
Foundations 2023. Foundations, the national What Works Centre for Children & Families is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company number 12136703 and charity number 1188350.

Cost ratings:

Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.

Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.

Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.

Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.

Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.

Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.

Click here for more information.

Child Outcomes:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.

Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing crime, violence and antisocial behaviour: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing substance abuse: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing risky sexual behaviour & teen pregnancy: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing obesity and promoting healthy physical development: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Evidence ratings:

Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.

Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.

Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.

Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.

Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.

Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.

Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.

Click here for more information.