Organisation, Services and Reach of Children's Centres evaluation of Children's Centres in England (ECCE, Strand 3)

This document summarizes evaluations of Children's Centres in England, which aim to support parenting and children's development. The evaluations assess the effectiveness of organizational models, leadership impact, and evidence-based practice integration. A mixed-methods approach, including fieldwork, data analysis, questionnaires, and reviews, was used. Findings reveal a trend towards cluster models and targeted services, with effective leadership being key to success. Challenges include staff shortages and funding cuts, affecting the ability to meet complex family needs. Higher leadership qualifications correlate with better service provision and effectiveness. Despite variations in services and limited population-level impact on parenting, the importance of open-access services, effective leadership, and evidence-based practice is emphasized. The UK Department for Education's initiatives, post-Nutbrown report, are also evaluated, showing a shift to a cluster model and a focus on multi-site service delivery, with ongoing analysis by the University of Oxford and Frontier Economics. The evaluations highlight the need for stable funding and support to maintain service quality and reach disadvantaged families. **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: Department for Education (DfE)
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Process evaluation
• Process methods: Qualitative observational studies
• 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: June 2015

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