www.project-oracle.com Registered Charity: 1167555
OUR MISSION Project Oracle empowers the youth sector to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people. We do this by supporting youth organisations and funders to produce, use and share high-quality evidence, so that together we can make better decisions to improve how interventions are funded and delivered.
THE QUESTION Which youth projects work and why?
Project Oracle was born to address a gap in understanding about which projects deliver positive change for children and young people in the capital. Pockets of disadvantage and violence persist across the UK and, while local budgets continue to shrink, expectations of youth services seem only to increase. With the parallel movement towards outcome-oriented funding and a focus on “what works�, youth organisations need to be able to give a reliable indication of their impact.
This is challenging for a number of reasons. Social needs are complex and the impact of programmes changes over time and context. At the same time, very few organisations have access to the tools and support that will allow them to make sense of their own unique situation.
OUR ANSWER
We support youth organisations to measure and track their
We simultaneously boost the ability of funders and commissioners
outcomes, so they can understand what they are doing well and
to process and use this knowledge, so that public money can
what could be improved in order to develop and refine their
be spent on the most promising interventions. Academics and
projects over time.
evaluation experts play a part in this by helping to ensure that evidence is of a high quality.
PROJECT ORACLE COMMUNITY
ACADEMICS AND EXPERTS
BETTER EVIDENCE USED
SHARED EVIDENCE BASE
IMPROVED YOUTH OUTCOMES
YOUTH PROVIDERS
BETTER EVIDENCE GENERATED
FUNDERS AND COMMISSIONERS
All of this comes together to form an Evidence Hub: a dynamic community where each part contributes to – and gains from – the whole. Every bit of our support is designed to be responsive, supportive and, above all, targeted at improving the lives of children and young people.
STANDARDS OF EVIDENCE
The Standards of Evidence enable everyone in the community to
The Standards work by reflecting how an organisation is currently
access and understand good evidence through a journey of five
gathering and using evidence, and identifying how they might
steps. By encouraging a standardised approach, they meet the needs
improve over time. Not every project will want, need or be able to
of both youth organisations and funders, helping each to navigate
move through all five standards, but each one can and should aim
the conversation around evidence and set realistic expectations.
for Standard 3.
“PROJECT ORACLE’S STANDARDS OF EVIDENCE HAVE HELPED INSTITUTE CONSISTENCY.” Caroline Boswell, GLA
“IT IS HELPFUL TO HAVE SOMETHING TO MEASURE YOURSELF AGAINST. THE PROJECT ORACLE STANDARDS OF EVIDENCE ACT AS A PROMPT TO MOVE FORWARD.” Ross Adams, Chance UK
ONLINE HUB
800+
Training places on evaluation approaches and learning from evidence have been taken up by children and youth organisations in London
200+
Projects across London have been validated against the Standards of Evidence and we continue to work with more organisations to improve the evidence of their outcomes
35+
Commissioners of youth projects from local authorities and funding bodies across London have been trained as Evidence Champions
50+
Research Placement students have been provided to youth organisations, supporting them to build their evidence base
Projects are validated against each Standard and shared on our website, building an open hub of independently assessed information.
“I WAS DRAWN TO THE RESEARCH PLACEMENT SCHEME FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. I AM INTERESTED IN THE YOUTH ASPECTS OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, AND I LIKED THE IDEA OF RESEARCH AND THE REAL WORLD COMING TOGETHER.” Marlin Wagtmans, LSE
“PROJECT ORACLE KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE GOOD EVIDENCE, AND THEY SHARE IT IN A SUPPORTIVE AND DOWN TO EARTH WAY.” Sarah Wallbank, Yes Futures
JOURNEY TO BETTER EVIDENCE The Standards cannot stand on their own. To be truly useful, they need to be accompanied by the necessary knowledge, skill and judgement to apply them effectively. We provide wraparound services to support youth organisations and funders along the journey to better evidence.
TRAINING We run full-day and half-day
RESEARCH PLACEMENTS
workshops that cover the major
We work with universities
ONE TO ONE SUPPORT FOR VALIDATION
areas of evaluation: Theory of
to identify masters and PHD
We know that reaching
commissioners and funders
Change; evaluation planning,
students who want to explore
validation against the
who want to become Evidence
analysis and reporting; and
the impact of their research
Standards of Evidence is an
Champions. Designed to
cost benefit analysis. We also
in a real-world setting. We
iterative process, and one
embed evidence at every stage
run breakfast seminars where
then match these researchers
that requires advice and
in the commissioning process,
topics come in smaller doses,
with organisations in need of
troubleshooting along the
we teach them to map needs
such as questionnaire and
their support. The placements,
way. We are always on hand
and demand, ensure user
survey design, and qualitative
which take place over a
to listen and respond to an
participation, use outcomes-
data analysis. We constantly
three-month period, support
organisation’s needs, with
based contracts and monitor
update our training to respond
organisations to get going on
flexible and friendly over the
service effectiveness. We also
to live challenges faced by the
the right track, boosting their
phone and in-person support.
encourage them to reflect on
Project Oracle community.
evaluation capacity for the
what is realistic and useful on
longer term, while contributing
the ground.
to researchers’ studies and helping to shape their futures.
EVIDENCE CHAMPIONS We offer a seminar series to
“BY TAKING AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH, WE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A MORE JUST SYSTEM, WHEREBY THE SERVICES BEST PLACED TO ACHIEVE A PARTICULAR SET OF OUTCOMES ARE SELECTED.” Amber Burridge, Lambeth Borough Council
“WE WILL USE THE EVIDENCE COMPETITION PRIZE MONEY TO CAPTURE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OF OUR METHODOLOGY’S EFFECTIVENESS.” Rebecca McHugh, Fight for Peace
REACH & DEPTH In addition to our core support services, we also work in the following ways.
IMPACT PIONEERS
BESPOKE ADVICE
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Our Impact Pioneers programme brings
We deliver a bespoke package of support
Evidence can reveal whether a desired
together youth organisations with relevant
to commissioners and funders. Previous
change has been achieved, and inspire
funders, and offers them greater scope
clients include the Greater London
learning and development. But it needs the
for change and influence. The concept is
Authority (GLA) and the Mayor’s Office for
right culture to flourish – a culture where
simple. We search for agents of change
Policing and Crime (MOPAC). For the GLA,
open, honest and reflective dialogue takes
within a particular sub-set of the youth
we designed a programme of support
place between all parts of the community.
sector. We then provide a backbone of
that enabled them to take an evidence-
Our thought leadership helps to facilitate
support tailored to the particular needs
based approach to The London Schools
this culture, offering a neutral forum
of that group. Together we explore the
Excellence Fund (LSEF) by helping grantees
where challenging and complex questions
most appropriate ways of performing
to evaluate their work. For MOPAC, we
can be posed and discussed, and diverse
evaluation, some of which may be new
collaborated with the London Crime
voices and opinions can be heard and
and innovative, and create processes
Prevention Fund (LCPF) to help create the
understood. We bring these objectives
that are engaging and easy to roll out.
“MOPAC Outcomes Framework” ensuring
together through our learning reports,
We then disseminate and communicate
that evidence of “what works” sits at the
synthesis studies, evidence digests, events
this learning to help boost the evidence
heart of how crime prevention projects are
and an online resource library.
fortunes of the wider youth sector.
commissioned in the capital.
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