Building connections: Golden key local evaluation phase 2 report

This report summarises findings from Phase 2 of the UWE Local Evaluation of Golden Key (GK) in Bristol (March 2016 to Feb 2017). GK is one of 12 Big Lottery funded Fulfilling Lives partnerships across the UK, where local organisations are working together to improve services for people with multiple and complex needs. This is a formative evaluation that will inform learning about how, when and why change happens for individuals, groups and organisations across the City. We will be supporting the initiative throughout its 8-year duration, engaging with different stakeholders to capture a diverse range of perspectives and experiences to produce a multi-faceted understanding of the issues and to stimulate reflection and learning amongst partners.This phase of the evaluation has focused primarily on the client experience pathway, including the experiences of GK clients, Service Co-ordinators, and members of the Independent Futures (IF) Group (experts by experience). Within this report, the ‘Key findings’ sections include insights from our evaluation research, as well as our analysis of client demographics and assessment scores. ‘Activity progress summary’ sections provide a brief update on other aspects of GK’s work, such as the systems change strategy and approach, and are informed by GK documents and meetings.Findings from this phase of the evaluation will be shared with key stakeholders and used to inform the next phase of GK activity. We anticipate that the next phase of the local evaluation will involve exploring how GK is facilitating and enabling systems change (including the role of PIE and innovation pilots), capturing evidence of impact (including economic and social return on investment), and engaging with partner organisations (police, health, council, voluntary sector, etc.) to gain their perspectives on the contribution of GK

Obesity prevention in infants using m-Health: the Growing Healthy program

About one quarter of Australian pre-school children are overweight. Early childhood is an important period for establishing behaviours that will affect weight gain and health across the life course. Early feeding choices, including breast and/or formula, timing of introduction of solids, physical activity and electronic media use among infants and young children are considered likely determinants of childhood obesity. Parents play a primary role in shaping these behaviours through parental modelling, feeding styles and the food and physical activity environments provided. Children from low socio-economic backgrounds have higher rates of obesity making early intervention particularly important. However, such families are often more difficult to reach and may be less likely to participate in traditional programs that support healthy behaviours. Parents across all socio-demographic groups frequently access primary health care (PHC) services including nurses in community health services and general practices, providing unparalleled opportunity for engagement to influence family behaviours. One emerging and promising area that might maximise engagement at a low cost is the provision of support for healthy parenting through electronic media such as the Internet or smart phones. This is referred to as mobile or m-health. The Growing Healthy study aimed to explore the feasibility of providing information and support for healthy parenting through electronic media in the form of an application for smart phones (app) and a website. Our background research suggested this as an emerging and promising area for engagement with families with young children and may provide a referral option for primary health care providers. It is also an intervention with a relatively low cost and potential for high reach. As families with young children have high levels of engagement with PHC services, these could be leveraged to recruit study participants via referral to the app. Complementing and not replacing the information and support provided by these existing primary health care services was an important objective as was ensuring the online information and support aligned with that provided by primary health care services and national guidelines. The aim was to make the app a ‘trusted source’ of information and support for families with children from birth to nine months of age.The research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Strategy

Reaching out: Golden Key local evaluation phase 1 full report

This report presents a preliminary analysis of the evidence collated for Phase 1 of the local evaluation of Bristol Golden Key. Evidence has been collected between November 2014 and March 2016 through a variety of means, including interviews with around 40 key stakeholders, observation at over 25 key meetings and events, and review of documentation.Golden Key is a long-term, complex initiative and at this relatively early stage the evaluation is primarily formative in focus – providing observations and reflections on how Golden Key has developed since inception and emerging indicators of how it is perceived and experienced by different stakeholders. The main aim of this report is to ‘capture the learning’ so far and to raise issues and questions that should inform further development as Golden Key progresses. It does not purport to give an objective assessment of progress against project aims given the paucity of quantitative data to support such an analysis at this stage.The report is informed by the evaluation framework developed to support this investigation, which uses a realist approach to identifying how behaviours, processes, outcomes and impacts develop in relation to three main pathways: client engagement; the Golden Key partnership and processes; and citywide engagement and systems change. Chapters are presented for each of these areas, concluding with a set of key learning points and discussion questions

Reaching out: Golden Key local evaluation phase 1 summary report

This report summarises the findings from Phase 1 of the local evaluation of Golden Key though the first 18 months of initial development, progress towards delivery and operational services delivery from Autumn 2014 to Spring 2016.Bristol Golden Key is one of 12 programmes across the UK to have received funding from the Big Lottery Fund Fulfilling Lives programme to support the development and provision of services for people with multiple complex needs

Preventing obesity in infants: the growing healthy feasibility trial protocol

INTRODUCTION: Early childhood is an important period for establishing behaviours that will affect weight gain and health across the life course. Early feeding choices, including breast and/or formula, timing of introduction of solids, physical activity and electronic media use among infants and young children are considered likely determinants of childhood obesity. Parents play a primary role in shaping these behaviours through parental modelling, feeding styles, and the food and physical activity environments provided. Children from low socio-economic backgrounds have higher rates of obesity, making early intervention particularly important. However, such families are often more difficult to reach and may be less likely to participate in traditional programs that support healthy behaviours. Parents across all socio-demographic groups frequently access primary health care (PHC) services, including nurses in community health services and general medical practices, providing unparalleled opportunity for engagement to influence family behaviours. One emerging and promising area that might maximise engagement at a low cost is the provision of support for healthy parenting through electronic media such as the Internet or smart phones. The Growing healthy study explores the feasibility of delivering such support via primary health care services. METHODS: This paper describes the Growing healthy study, a non-randomised quasi experimental study examining the feasibility of an intervention delivered via a smartphone app (or website) for parents living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, for promoting infant feeding and parenting behaviours that promote healthy rather than excessive weight gain. Participants will be recruited via their primary health care practitioner and followed until their infant is 9 months old. Data will be collected via web-based questionnaires and the data collected inherently by the app itself. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study received approval from the University of Technology Sydney Ethics committee and will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations