Impact case study database

Gupta’s research transformed policies, practices and attitudes in relation to poverty awareness and family inclusion in the child protection system. She is recognised nationally and internationally as a strong advocate for more humane and social justice-based approaches to child protection work. The main beneficiaries of the research are national and local policy makers, managers, social work practitioners and other child welfare professionals. Parents and other family members who participated in the projects are also key beneficiaries, as are children and families who receive child protection services.

1. Transformed Policies: Enhancing service delivery with and for families within local authorities and family courts

(i) London borough of Camden - The Camden Conversations project was commissioned by the local authority’s Safeguarding Children’s Board (CSCB). The recommendations about the format of the child protection conference and process have been fully adopted; including the recognition of the power imbalances and difficulties for parents to effectively participate. A service manager at Camden identified in his testimonial that an example of changes to practice is that: ‘ the relationship between the independent chair of the child protection meetings and the family is being improved; the chair now keeps in contact with the family between meetings so the family has the opportunity to give feedback and build a trusting relationship so they can speak openly and honestly (E1). Parents have led monthly ‘learning exchange’ workshops sharing with practitioners their experiences of subjects such as domestic violence and growing up in care. There was strong recommendation for advocacy in the Camden Conversations report and this recommendation is being implemented with ‘independent professional’ advocacy from family group conference facilitators offered to families attending child protection conferences. In terms of reach, in the year ending 31st March 2019, 1,394 children had been referred to Camden Children’s Services and 321 children were subject to child protection plans on the 31st March 2019, with over 700 child protection conferences occurring during the year.

The service manager in his testimonial also explained that not only have the recommendations made an impact, but the process of the research has made a difference: ‘ the research process itself, bringing together parents and social workers in dialogue, has had an impact on breaking down ‘us’ and ‘them’ barriers that can so often impede effective relationship-building’ (E1). The CSCB Annual Report 2018 to 2019 highlights the recommendations of Camden Conversations and states that: Camden are forging an approach which puts service user experience and voice at the forefront of the system (E3). In the video made to support the implementation of Camden Conversations, one of the parent researchers explains the impact on her as a beneficiary: ‘ I learnt so much being involved in the Enquiry, it made me realise that we have a voice that will be heard’ (E3). In an article written for Community Care magazine (E3), ‘Annie’, another parent involved in the Enquiry, explained that: ‘ what really shone through was the shift in power dynamic, and the effect this process was having on both practitioner and parent. If you’ve previously been “done to”, being listened to and worked with can be life changing. Feeling part of a solution was uplifting, for all’. She confirms this in her testimonial (E2).

(ii) Informing family-inclusive policies in other local authorities and organisations – The process and findings of Camden Conversations have been shared widely, with a number of local authorities, including Brighton and Southwark Children’s Services, changing practices to be more family inclusive (E1). In their report From Tiny Acorns: Communities Shaping the Future of Children’s Services, the New Local Government Network (NLGN), an independent think tank that seeks to transform public services, identifies Camden Conversations as ‘ taking advantage of the wealth of knowledge and experience of real families going through court proceedings to influence service delivery and reform’ (E3). The Department for Education Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme newsletter in January 2020 also commends the project and notes that the final report has ‘ already led to real change’ (E3). In addition, a training session with ‘Annie’ was attended and very well received by over 30 professionals from across England involved in child safeguarding, with the feedback from one participant being: ‘ I am excited to go back and bang the drum for co-production’ (E2).

(iii) International and National Parent Advocacy Networks - Gupta’s research with parents has led to her involvement in the development of an International Parent Advocacy Network (IPAN) and the Parents, Families and Allies Network (PFAN) in England. PFAN is a network of parents, academics and practitioners seeking to create a more socially just child protection system. In October 2020 Gupta and other PFAN members conducted a consultation on behalf of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory with parents who had experienced remote hearings in the family courts during the pandemic. In response to the report on remote hearings quoted in the Guardian newspaper, Lord Justice McFarlane stated that: ‘ However there are clearly circumstances where more support is required to enable parents and young people to take part in remote hearings effectively. It is worrying that some parents report that they have not fully understood, or felt a part of, the remote court process…I am very alert to the concerns raised in this report, and I will be working with the judiciary and the professions to develop solutions’. He has since issued guidance that unless ‘truly urgent’ a telephone connection should not be used for parental participation in remote hearings (E10).

2. Transformed Practices: Enhancing the development of poverty-aware practice and training for social workers

(i) Anti-poverty practice guidance - Gupta’s research with ATD Fourth World has made a significant contribution to the development of poverty-aware social work in the UK. The work underpins ATD Fourth World’s significant contribution to the Anti-Poverty Practice Framework for Social Workers in Northern Ireland produced by the Office of Social Services in the Department of Health; and the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Anti-Poverty Practice Guide for Social Workers, as explained in the testimonial from the National Co-ordination Team of ATD Fourth World in the UK (E4, E5). BASW is the main professional association for social workers in the UK. As of April 2020, the BASW Anti-Poverty guide had 1,748 views.

(ii) ATD Social Worker training programme - The ATD Fourth World project led to the development of a training programme for social workers delivered by family members. ATD Fourth World families have been involved in training students on social work programmes at Royal Holloway University of London and other universities (Universities of Sheffield and Birmingham). The training has been received by at least 200 students across these universities. In addition, they have presented with at conferences, including Making Research Count conferences at Kings College London, with hundreds of social workers and other professionals having heard the ATD Fourth World families present since the research was undertaken. One of the social work students explained the impact of the training: “It helps to have real people talking about their experiences. What struck me was how much social work can empower people if done right in terms of service user involvement, respecting service users, actually finding out how service users feel and talking and listening to them” (More feedback from the training is provided in E6). The beneficiaries have also been the families involved in the research and subsequent dissemination activities. As outlined in the testimonial from ATD Fourth World National Co-ordination Team: ‘ Involvement in these projects has led to parent activist growing confidence to speak out about the everyday reality of living in poverty in various forums, including to the UN Rapporteur on Human Rights and Extreme Poverty’ (E4).

(iii) Influencing change via Research in Practice podcast – Gupta was commissioned to produce a podcast on the Social Model and together with colleagues developed Social Model practice tools for a government funded national programme for over 1,000 practice supervisors in local authorities across the country. The materials are available (open access) on the Research in Practice website. Gupta’s colleague, Prof, Featherstone, made a similar podcast on the Social Model for BASWTalk. As of October 2020 the two podcasts have had almost 2,500 downloads (E5).

3. Changing the professional narratives and informing public conversations:

(i) Changing professional understanding about poverty and austerity policies – The findings from the Adoption Enquiry has influenced the work of BASW, in particular the anti-poverty campaign as explained in the podcast and testimonial by the CEO of BASW (E7, E8). In the podcast on the Adoption Enquiry: One year on, the CEO of BASW states that the ‘ home truths of the report’ about the impact of poverty and austerity policies on families and the child protection system has also impacted on the narratives of organisations such as Ofsted, the Children’s Commissioner and the Family Rights Group (FRG) (E8). The findings of the Adoption Enquiry report were cited in FRG Care Crisis Review. Gupta was asked to serve on the Academic Advisory Group of the Care Crisis Review. The President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) said at the time of the Adoption Enquiry report’s release that: ‘ This report raises some important questions worthy of further debate, not least in relation to the cumulative impact of wider government policies, exacerbated by financial austerity, on our most vulnerable children and families’ (E8). The ADCS has continued to campaign against austerity and highlighted issues in relation to poverty and children.

(ii) Informing public conversations about poverty and austerity policies - Gupta’s work led her to be asked to be the academic advisor for the National Theatre production – Faith, Hope and Charity. The writer/director Alexander Zeldin approached Gupta because of her research on parents’ experiences of the child protection system and the impact of poverty on families’ lives. The play ran from the 9th September to 12th October 2019, with over 5,000 tickets sold and received uniformly positive reviews in the press. It garnered two nominations to the Evening Standard Awards, and has been invited to perform in the USA, Australia, France and around Europe. The director in his testimonial states that: the collaboration between us certainly deepened my thoughts and allowed the play to have a rigour and a grounding in the fact and also the intellectual framework around austerity that your work so powerfully articulates (E9)

(iii) Changing professional narratives and informing public conversations about adoption: In a keynote address to professionals working in the family courts that is available on the Ministry of Justice website, the current President of the Family Division of the High Court, Lord Justice McFarlane described the Adoption Enquiry report as a ‘ significant piece of work’ to achieve greater openness and involvement of birth families in adoption. He quotes paragraphs from the report and concludes that: The BASW Enquiry, coupled with the range of anecdotal evidence that led me to say what I did last year, strongly suggests that a higher level of ongoing contact, or a level of direct contact that develops slowly during childhood once the dust from the adoption order being made has settled, may well be better for these young people in the longer term (E8). The report has also been quoted in a Court of Appeal judgement on considerations for post-adoption contact (E8).

The Adoption Enquiry was reported in the mainstream media, including in the Guardian newspaper, Family Law Week, and a BBC TV report that highlighted the impact of austerity policies. There were also articles in the professional press (Community Care, PSW & CYP Now). A podcast interview with Gupta on a popular adoption website The Adoption and Fostering Podcasts and a BASW podcast on the Adoption Enquiry – One Year On have been downloaded over 1,200 times. The report itself has been downloaded more than 7,000 times (E8).

Context

There are currently around 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and indications are that this figure will rise incrementally. Dementia is strongly associated with reduced quality of life; national reports establish that those living in care homes have lesser quality of life. The primary beneficiaries of this research are people with dementia and their carers; voluntary sector agencies; NHS trusts; practitioners and policy makers. Research presented in section 3 above, had the following effects. First, the research confirmed their internal assessment of benefits of reminiscence arts practice for people with dementia (E1). Second, Age Exchange used Royal Holloway’s research to change how they operated as a charity. Using this evidence-base, the charity was able to attract additional funding and expand the reach of their reminiscence arts provision. Third, the research enabled Age Exchange to influence policy on the arts and well-being.

Enhancing health and well-being of people with dementia

Prior to Keating’s research, Age Exchange only had anecdotal evidence that arts and reminisce practice is beneficial for people with dementia. Keating’s research provided strong evidence that the quality of life of participants improved significantly during the intervention. Based on this overwhelming finding, the reminiscence arts intervention was rolled out to 6 care homes in South London. Age Exchange’s 2019 impact report stated: “Age Exchange’s evidence based model of Reminiscence Arts (RADIQL), first tested and evaluated in residential care in Southwark and Lambeth between 2012 and 2015, had a measurable impact on the wellbeing and behaviour of residents with a diagnosis of dementia who participated in the programme. Independent evaluation of the RADIQL programme found that the well-being of residents with dementia who participated, increased by 42%, and positive behaviour by 25% during the course of the programme.” (E3; E8). This service model is now advertised on the Age Exchange website as “the RADIQL evaluated model” (E2)

On the basis of Keating’s research Age Exchange found their approach compelling. Therefore, the charity was invited to extend their provision to other care homes in London, directly reaching approximately 500 people living with dementia per annum (E4). Age Exchange now provides weekly group and one-to-one sessions to other organisations based on the RADIQL model.

RADIQL enabled Age Exchange to take this proven model and extend it for the first time into day and community care, where they currently run 9 programmes annually supporting 9000 plus people with dementia and their carers (E1). During the current Pandemic when delivering reminiscence arts activities in person was no longer possible, Age Exchange developed reminiscence arts activity boxes to improve the mental health, mood and engagement of someone with dementia. These boxes have been distributed to 150 people with dementia and their carers on a weekly basis totalling 600 boxes per month.

Improving a public service agency

On the basis of Keating’s research, Age Exchange was transformed as a charity. The research resulted in a new sense of identity and purpose and an evidence-base for presentation of their work.

The Artistic Director said: Royal Holloway’s research has revitalised our charity. It helped us learn a language we didn't know, and it helped us practise in a different way. We can now articulate a vision of dementia care, we can now say confidently what Reminiscence Arts is about and that it has measurable benefits’ (E1). In 2016 Age Exchange trademarked their reminiscence arts model ‘ RADIQL™’ (E8), which added significant value to their work. Keating’s research is cited in Age Exchange’s 2019 Impact Report (E8).

Age Exchange was nominated for prestigious awards in recognition of their reminiscence and arts practice, e.g., Charity Times Change Project Award, 2019 and The National Dementia Care Award, 2020 (E8). With Keating’s research providing clear evidence of how their interventions raised the quality of life in care homes, Age Exchange presented their work confidently to potential users and commissioners: ‘We know that without our [i.e. RHUL’s] evaluation we wouldn't even get through the security gate with most commissioners. We're really excited to be able to talk to commissioners on the same terms as traditional providers, backing up with hard evidence what we've instinctively known, that arts-based interventions can offer a more effective alternative to mainstream activities that are designed to improve wellbeing for older people, and one which is cost effective.’ (E3; E4) With a higher profile Age Exchange broadened its reach nationally and internationally. Over the last 3 years, Age Exchange has transformed from an organisation operating as a local charity in South London to a national actor with international reach. The Artistic Director of Age Exchange (E1) directly credits RHUL’s research for enabling their new national partnership with Community Integrated Care (CIC), one of the UK’s largest providers of health and social care, established in 2018. CIC provides services to over 3,000 people with dementia and their carers. The Chief Executive Officer of CIC stated that the quality of Age Exchange’s interventions was critical to the partnership: “Age Exchange is a beacon of best practice in reminiscence arts and dementia intervention. We have been inspired by the impact that their life-enhancing work has had on the people in its care and in the wider local community. The new partnership was launched at the House of Lords in 2019” (E8).

Age Exchange used the evidence from Keating’s research to create a more stable financial base by securing over GBP1,000,000 to expand their services, a 22% increase in funding (E1; E8).

Age Exchange has extended their RADIQL™ training and support programme for reminiscence arts practitioners and community workers, informed by, and benefitting from Keating’s research. The training programme is delivered locally, nationally and internationally, for example, in Canada, Hungary and Poland (E1). Age Exchange offers a day’s training on the RADIQL model aimed at staff, caregivers, activity coordinators and service providers. This training has been provided to staff at Kings College Hospital, Guys & St Thomas Trust, L & Q Housing and the Peabody Trust (E1). On the back of this training, at Guys & St Thomas’, Age Exchange co-produced and delivered a reminiscence arts intervention, the first of its kind in the country over a 10 month period. This benefitted 6 hospital wards for older people (E8).

Informing UK Government Policy in Arts in Dementia Care

Age Exchange has directly drawn on Keating’s research to seek to influence parliamentary policy debates on the role of the creative arts in promoting well-being. The findings were presented at an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Roundtable on Arts and Dementia (22 participants that included senor parliamentarians, policy makers, practitioners and academics) in 2017(E5); were included as a case study in the Inquiry report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Well-being (APPG, 2017: 132; E5); and cited as an example and evidence of the beneficial impact of the arts on dementia. The Director of Arts and Health Southwest (participant in the APPG, E6) stated this: “The report, the case studies and impressive research behind them have been critical to the APPG’s advocacy work and building a robust case and support for the establishment of the National Centre for Creative Health, through which we will amplify and support work that transforms people's lives and communities through culture and creativity”. The findings from the APPG report (E5) was used by the APPG and a consortium of public agencies to develop five policy briefings on culture, health and well-being, which the APPG included in their submission to the Culture White Paper Consultation by the Department for Culture, Media and Arts in 2017 (E7). A final outcome of this consultation was the establishment of The National Centre for Creative Health that was launched in 2020.

In conclusion the objective evidence provided by Keating’s research confirms that people with dementia are positively affected by Age Exchange’s work; their quality of life has not only improved it has been shown to have improved. Age Exchange continues to build its work and profile based on the overwhelming evidence provided by Keating’s research.

Drawing on her extensive academic research, Meek’s independent review ‘A Sporting Chance’ was undertaken on behalf of the Ministry of Justice in 2018, in order to improve sports and Physical Education (PE) provision in prisons, young offender institutions, secure training centres and secure children’s homes throughout England and Wales. Good practice examples were identified and the findings informed a dozen recommendations, 11 of which were accepted by government and have subsequently shaped national policy and practice (E1). The key areas of impact resulting from this body of work are as follows:

Enhancing prison governance and staffing to support the effective use of sport and physical activity in prison.

Meek’s research has directly influenced the work of the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), and shaped daily practice in all 122 prisons across England and Wales. There is now a greater recognition and understanding of the role of sport by prison managers and staff, and the profile of sport and physical activity in prisons has been elevated across the prison staffing structure. Job descriptions for prison PE staff have been adapted to reflect Meek’s recommendation that staff engage more closely with community organisations in supporting prisoners to prepare for release.

Meek’s work is cited in two key HMPPS operational documents, the 2019 Strategic Review of Physical Education in Prisons and the 2018 Model for Operational Delivery: Young Adults (18-25). Alongside leading the 2018 independent review on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, Meek’s research featured in the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee inquiry, their 2019 report (E1), and in a further ten citations in Hansard parliamentary debates since December 2017 (E1).

[text removed for publication], at HMPPS confirmed in November 2020 that [text removed for publication]. Specifically, the resulting governance included a joint action plan between HMPPS and the Youth Custody Service, with the creation of local action plans to address the Review’s recommendations: [text removed for publication] (E2). In addition, the governance recommended the creation of the Sports Forum: a strategic, cross-government approach, bringing together Sport England, the NHS, the Home Office and Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport: [text removed for publication] (E2).

Improving outcomes for children and preventing youth crime

Meek’s research has been instrumental in improving health and educational outcomes for the 650 children in custody in England and Wales, through improving access to and better integrating sport and physical activity in youth custody settings. Her 11 adopted research recommendations have been integrated into the way that the Youth Custody Service awards tenders for externally contracted work Overseeing these reforms, Rob Lawman, Senior Policy Advisor in the Youth Justice Policy Team confirms: “Rosie's piece of work raising the profile of this agenda of youth custody shouldn't be underestimated” (E3).

This development has been driven by a commitment from prison leaders to adopt Meek’s recommendation that physical activity and sports-based interventions are more effectively used to support the most vulnerable and excluded children in our youth justice system: [text removed for publication] (E2). On improving outcomes for children in prison, Novus, the educational provider for 570 children held in youth custody establishments within England, confirm that Meek’s research has led to the development of a new specialist post within the staffing team, who has full time responsibility for Sport and Enrichment Coordination (E6).

This work has also improved access to physical activity for young people at risk of engaging in crime. Meek was the sole academic representative to lobby for better access to sports facilities for socially excluded youth, which was subsequently incorporated into the Conservative manifesto for the 2019 General Election. Huw Edwards, CEO of UK Active testifies that: “ Rosie’s influence on the framing and engagement of that agenda has been huge… Rosie’s influence on opening up schools and public facilities to lower-income families and at-risk young people has also led to practical interventions on the preventative side of criminal justice (E7). Specifically focusing on improving access and outcomes for the BAME children who now represent more than half of all children in youth justice settings, Meek’s work has resulted in the funding and delivery of new initiatives that seek to tackle disproportionality in justice settings:

“Recommendation 8 …led to our launching the £1.7m Levelling the Playing Field project in January 2020 alongside the Youth Justice Board” (E4).

Meek’s research has also been instrumental in developing international use of sport for youth crime prevention. Her work with the UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) led to the 2019 adoption of General Assembly resolution 74/170 entitled “Integrating sport into youth crime prevention and criminal justice strategies”. The UNODC have confirmed that: [text removed for publication] (E5).

Increasing physical activity and improving conditions for women and girls.

Meek’s research highlighting the low rates of physical activity for women and girls and the gendered barriers to engaging in physical activity in prison has led to improved conditions for women and girls in England and Wales, including the construction of a dedicated strategy, the procurement of women’s PE clothing and targeted interventions and programmes: [text removed for publication] (E2).

Focusing specifically on the small number of girls in custody, Novus has provided a clear link between Meek’s research calling for a trauma-informed approach to working with girls and engaging more effectively with this under-served and vulnerable group: “With boys making up the majority of learners at Rainsbrook [Secure Training Centre], girls had previously been left behind and put off sport for a variety of reasons. Now, we have sought the girls’ feedback about what they want and have initiated specific girls’ gym sessions, as well as dance and netball” (E6).

Establishing relationships between prisons and community groups.

As well as facilitating prison staff to engage in more community partnership working, Meek has addressed the All Party Parliamentary Group for Sport and used her research findings to support a broad range of voluntary, community and sporting organisations (including UK Coaching, England Boxing, Table Tennis England, parkrun, UK Active, the Change Foundation, and the Youth Sport Trust) on the use of sport and physical education in prisons and in reducing crime. Her research findings have been instrumental in establishing relationships between prisons and external providers, leading to the delivery of new initiatives that support people in prison and after release from custody: “ Rosie’s recommendations in this area have given us personally the opportunity to open up those conversations and we’ve found prison staff more receptive as a result” (E6). Meek’s research has been instrumental in enabling sporting organisations and bodies to deliver programmes in Criminal Justice settings for the first time, as demonstrated by the CEO of UK Active, representing their 4,000 members: “ We now have partnerships and projects in place, and many ongoing conversations taking place investigating those two key areas from Rosie’s Review that are relevant in our area - raising physical activity levels and developing employment opportunities post-release. That narrative wasn’t on the radar of my membership prior to our engagement with Rosie” (E7).

In turn, her work has also led to prison education providers engaging directly with sporting bodies: “We are now empowered to approach local organisations and national governing bodies as the examples cited in Rosie’s report provide all the evidence we need to prove the potential benefits of them getting involved… these fruitful partnerships are what will leave a massive ‘Rosie footprint’ all over the prison estate. It will be her legacy” (E6).

In providing the theoretical framework and evidence base for organisations to deliver in criminal justice settings, the research has led to sustained impact in the sports for development sector. Brighton Table Tennis Club and Richmond RFU have enacted programmes using Meek’s research as a ‘way in’ to prison settings. The Head of Community Rugby at Richmond Rugby states “... we thank Rosie for providing the evidence base which laid the platform for our holistic programme to flourish” (Head of Community Rugby, Richmond Rugby) (E10).

As well as empowering organisations around the world to develop an evidence-based approach to using sport as a crime reduction technique, Meek was also a key figure in the establishment of the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice, a charitable organisation with a global membership of over 400, “It’s fair to say that the Sporting Chance Review has positively impacted on the work of all these members. It’s changing the game for sport in criminal justice in so many ways” (E4). With further global reach, Meek’s work has been critical in the development of parkrun in custodial settings, an initiative promoting health and wellbeing, as confirmed by World Champion Triathlete Chrissie Wellington, Head of Health and Wellbeing at parkrun: “ We drew heavily on her research to inform the development of this initiative, and its evaluation… To date, parkrun events have been set up on over 30 custodial sites in the UK, Ireland and Australia, with the demand for more to be activated. As of December 2019 - two years on from the first ever prison parkrun at HMP Haverigg in Cumbria - over 4,000 parkrunners had clocked up over 23,000 walks, jogs and runs within prison walls" (E8).