Distress Brief Intervention Pilot Programme: Evaluation

The document provides an evaluation of Scotland's Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) Pilot Programme, designed to offer immediate and compassionate support to individuals experiencing distress. The evaluation, conducted by a collaborative team using mixed methods, assessed the program's implementation, impact, and areas for improvement. It found that the DBI was largely successful in reducing distress levels among participants, with training enhancing practitioners' confidence in managing distress. However, challenges such as practitioner preparedness, resistance from existing services, and the need for additional training were noted. Recommendations include improving perceptions of the DBI, ensuring better preparedness, and further research on long-term effects and suicide prevention. Limitations of the evaluation included the absence of a control group, low agency response rates, and the impact of COVID-19 on data collection. The economic analysis was also limited to public sector costs. Overall, the DBI program was effective in providing a compassionate response to individuals in distress, though further refinement is needed to address identified challenges and improve outcomes for all participants. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: The Scottish Government (The Scottish Government)
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Value for money evaluation; Impact evaluation; Process evaluation
• Impact methods: Theory-based methods
• Theory-based methods: Realist evaluation
• Process methods: Focus groups or group interviews; Individual interviews; Surveys and polling
• Value for money methods: Other
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: May 2022

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes