What is the problem with outcomes research?
There has been an increasing trend for advice organisations to have to demonstrate the outcomes of their work in order to show funders that their invested money brings about real change to the public. Advice services have risen to this challenge and produced research, that aims to demonstrate the difference that they are making. Whilst there has been some excellence research into the impact of advice work on clients, the problem remains that undertaking outcome evaluations in local advice services is hard, resource intensive and often inconclusive.
The Conference
The Advice Services Alliance held a conference on 30 November 2018, at UCL Faculty of Laws, supported by the Legal Education Foundation.
The event brought together advice practitioners, funders and researchers to share their perspectives on the issues of measuring the outcomes of advice services, present exemplar research being done in the sector and to discuss how we can produce research in the future that will better reflect our aim of improving access to justice. Speakers included, Professor Dame Hazel Genn (UCL), Alex Van Vliet (Lloyds Bank Foundation), Jonathan Breckon (The Alliance for Useful Evidence) and Jamie Mitchell (Citizens Advice).
Session talks and presentations
Mavis Maclean, Research Associate, Department of Social Policy and intervention, University of Oxford.
Professor Dame Hazel Genn, Professor of Socio-Legal Studies, Faculty of Laws UCL – The academia perspective:
Lindsey Poole, Director of the Advice Services Alliance – The advice sector perspective:
Session: The wider perspective from across sectors
Jonathan Breckon, Director of the Alliance for Useful Evidence:
Session: Exemplars
Dr Charlotte Woodhead, Research Associate, Department of Applied Health Research, UCL:
Jamie Mitchell: Senior Impact and Evaluation Analyst Citizens Advice:
Colin Kinloch: Debt Advice Strategy and Innovation Manager at the Money Advice Service
Dr Richard Thurston, Deputy Chief Research Officer, Siân Williams, Senior Research Officer, Paul Neave, Head of Advice Services at The Welsh Government
Dr Joe Tomlinson, Research Director of the Public Law Project & Lecturer in Public Law, Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London:
Session: Looking forward to the future: Strategic Approaches
Dr Natalie Byrom, Director of Research and Learning at the Legal Education Foundation & Expert Advisor on Open Data and Academic Engagement at HM Courts and Tribunal Service
Prof Nick Tilley, Principal Research Associate Department of Security and Crime Science, Jill Dando Institute, UCL
Related presentation
Cris Coxon, Principal Analyst, Access to Justice Analytical Services,
Ministry of Justice