Use of evidence-based tools and guidance in service design and commissioning

This small-scale audience-research project has three aims:

• the project will facilitate the development of the Toolkit and set of Practice Guides.
• the findings will be used to inform our thinking into how the Toolkit and Practice Guides are being used for service design and commissioning purposes.
• the project will inform us of the barriers and facilitators in using evidence to inform decision-making processes in children’s social care.

We hope to recruit participants, typically at senior level, across a diverse range of local authorities.

Our methodology is predominantly qualitative, using both focus groups and interviews. There will also be a survey component, as well as a rapid evidence review to identify what is already known about the efficacy of evidence stores, and what can hinder or facilitate their usage.