Evaluation plan and recommendations - ‘Can’t Wait to be Healthy’: A briefing paper on evaluation for Leeds Childhood Obesity Prevention and Weight Management Strategy.

The rise in childhood obesity is a major public health challenge and a national priority for health action. Obesity is associated with many illnesses and is directly related to increased mortality and lower life expectancy. The Children’s Plan recognises child obesity as one of the most serious challenges for children and links it to a number of poor outcomes, physical, social and psychological (Department for Children, Schools and Families 2007). ‘Can’t wait to be healthy’- Leeds Childhood Obesity Prevention and Weight Management Strategy 2006-2016 is a comprehensive, city-wide strategy setting out actions to tackle the problem of childhood obesity for all children and young people 0-19 years. The strategy reviews the evidence around prevalence, causal factors and effective interventions. There is recognition of the complexity of the issue and the need for action on multiple levels and in different sectors, including health, education, environment and leisure services. The guiding principles are based on partnership working and local leadership, the active participation of parents, carers, children and young people, and the prioritisation of prevention and early intervention. ‘Can’t wait to be healthy’ was initiated by Leeds Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Children Leeds and its implementation is being overseen by a multi agency partnership. An initial action plan was agreed that gives an outline of proposed actions (2007-2010) grouped around strands of work. There are seven core objectives that are summarised in Box 1. A robust evaluation plan and reporting framework to measure progress and outcomes resulting from the strategy is required. This is supported by recent guidance for local areas indicating the importance of local evaluation and monitoring in tracking progress and informing commissioning (Cross Government Obesity Unit 2008a).The Centre for Health Promotion Research, Leeds Metropolitan University, was commissioned to work in collaboration with the Leeds Childhood Obesity Partnership to develop a strategic approach to evaluation. A series of workshops were held in Spring 2008 to enable stakeholders to engage with the planning process and to consider how evidence would be generated. The workshops used a ‘Theory of Change’ approach to develop understanding about how and why specific activities or combinations of activities work (Connell and Kubisch 1988). This resulted in a draft evaluation plan and recommendations for ongoing evaluation which are presented here. This briefing paper includes: • Summary of national guidance on indicators for childhood obesity • Evaluation planning process and approach • Theories of change and evaluation plans for each objective and for the overall strategy • Recommendations for evaluation of ‘Can’t wait to be healthy’ and priorities for data collectio

Sure Start Mellow Valley Baseline User Satisfaction Survey

Sure Start Mellow Valley is a 6 th wave Sure Start programme, currently in its second year. The Children’s Society is the lead partner and accountable body. The programme was approved in April 2003. Since then the team has grown – for a full list of current Sure Start staff, please Appendix A. Sure Start Mellow Valley has established links with many other local initiatives that aim to improve the lives of families and children aged 04 years and promotes an inclusive approach to the development of working with local agencies, organisations and funders. Sure Start Mellow Valley is characterised by high levels of parental involvement. Indeed, parents in Little London & Woodhouse and in Meanwood were closely involved in forums/groups lobbying for a Sure Start programme. The Parents Forum groups are always well attended and parents are also represented on the management board. It is a requirement for all local Sure Start programmes to undergo a process of evaluation to determine whether the programme is meeting the needs and expressed wishes of the population it serves. The Centre for Health Promotion Research at Leeds Metropolitan University has been commissioned to evaluate Sure Start Mellow Valley. An initial Baseline User Satisfaction Survey formed the first stage of the evaluation. It was conducted in Summer 2004. This report details the methods used and findings from the survey

Sure Start Harehills Evaluation Report Year One

The evaluation will try to reflect the particular issues arising at the various stages of programme implementation. For example, in the early stages we will focus on the way activities are being developed as well as identifying any early successes. As the programme matures there can be a gradual transition to assessing the achievement of objectives. In year 3, there is a requirement that we will formally report on progress towards meeting national targets

People in Public Health. Research Summary

Members of the public are becoming increasingly important in the delivery of public health programmes. The work they do varies. They might give out information about a health issue or tell people about a local service. They might help someone who is going to a health improvement activity for the first time or organise a group that encourages healthy living. Some are paid, others are volunteers. The People in Public Health research study wanted to find out more about these lay health workers. It wanted to discover what type of things they do in public health programmes, how they are recruited, trained and supported and what is needed to make these approaches work well

Evaluation of the HSCVF Bursary Scheme

The ‘Building Sustainability: Extended Support Package’ aimed to increase the capacity and sustainability of 94 local projects - all were Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations funded by the Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund (HSCVF). The bursary scheme, as it became known, was managed by Ecorys as the lead partner alongside Eastside Primetimers, CSV and Attend as the three delivery partners. Projects chose from a menu of over 50 offers including mentoring, coaching, on-site support, training and ‘other’. A Support Consultant, allocated to each project, helped them assess their needs, choose the most appropriate offers and submit the application. The scheme was introduced in 2012 with all offers utilised by May 2013. It was funded by the Department of Health. This report presents the findings from an evaluation undertaken by the Institute for Health & Wellbeing at Leeds Metropolitan University

Control and choice in English prisons: developing health-promoting prisons.

The 'health-promoting prison' has been informed by a broader settings-based philosophy to health promotion which conceptualizes health as the responsibility for all social settings. Though in its relative infancy, the notion of a health-promoting prison has gained political backing from international organizations like the World Health Organization, but the implementation of the policy rhetoric has not translated across all prison environments. The aim of this paper is to consider how key elements of health promotion discourse-choice, control and implicitly, empowerment-can apply in the context of imprisonment. These concepts were examined in three category-C (secure) prisons in England, through interviews with 36 male prisoners and 19 prison staff conducted by the first author. Analysis showed that prisoners negotiated the norms, structures and strictures of prison life by both relinquishing control and also by taking control, showing resistance and exercising some element of choice. The paradox is that, as most prisoners are expected to be released at some point they need to exercise some agency, control and choice, but these learning experiences may be constrained whilst 'inside'. The paper argues that if a settings approach in prison is truly to move forward, both conceptually and practically, then health promoters should seek to embed the key values of health promotion within the prison setting

Evaluation of Sure Start Mellow Valley: Findings from the stakeholder survey

Sure Start is a government programme which aims to make a difference to children 0-4 years and their families through supporting parents, increasing childcare availability and improving the health and social development of young children. Local Sure Start programmes seek to involve parents and other partners in their work. Sure Start principles are listed below. Sure Starts will be changing with the government’s commitment to build Children’s Centres in every community by 2010

An Evaluation of the Bradford District Health Trainers Programme - Phase 2

Health trainers are health workers who offer one-to-one support to help individuals make changes to improve their health. The government regards health trainers as being an important mechanism to help tackle health inequalities through improving access to health advice, support and services in disadvantaged communities (Department of Health, 2005). As one of the 12 early adopter sites of the national health trainer programme, Bradford was one of the first places in the country to have health trainers working out in local communities. The early adopter phase was evaluated in 2006 to provide feedback on the development and functioning of the programme and any early outcomes. The evaluation findings indicated that the health trainer role was successful at supporting people to make changes to improve their health. Since the initial evaluation one significant development has been the piloting of the senior health trainer role. Three senior health trainers were recruited in November 2006 and placed in three localities, all areas of disadvantage. Their role was to support the work of health trainers on the ground and to use community development skills to improve access to the health trainer programme. At the time of the second evaluation there were 32 health trainers and 3 senior health trainers working in Bradford providing support to those individuals and communities with greatest health needs

Evaluation of the Altogether Better Asset Mapping in Sharrow and Firth Park, Sheffield

‘I am My Community’ is an asset mapping exercise led by Altogether Better that has explored a model by which trained Community Health Champions (CHCs) are used to undertake an inventory of the physical and social assets linked to the health and well-being of their communities and neighbourhoods. The project, which started in 2011 and was completed in April 2012, was undertaken in two communities in Sheffield, Sharrow and Firth Park, by two delivery organisations, ShipShape and SOAR. A steering group including Altogether Better, the Department of Health, Sheffield Well-Being Consortium, Sheffield City Council, ShipShape staff and CHCs, SOAR staff and CHCs, and South Yorkshire Police has overseen the delivery and development of the project and work. This report presents findings from an evaluation of the ‘I am My Community’ asset mapping, conducted by the Centre for Health Promotion Research, Institute for Health and Wellbeing at Leeds Metropolitan University. It presents evidence about the engagement of CHCs in asset mapping and offers recommendations regarding their involvement in future projects