Family Wellbeing Partnership in Clackmannanshire: evaluation - summary report

Methodology

This evaluation was undertaken to understand the impact of the FWP on public service delivery and the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities in Clackmannanshire. The methodological approach was primarily qualitative, involving desk-based research and fieldwork in Clackmannanshire to gather evidence and perspectives from service users, staff working on the FWP and wider council staff. The evaluation team developed a Theory of Change, key hypotheses and a data monitoring framework to build an evidence base around the outcomes and impacts of the four original FWP workstreams. Methods included analysis of council data, case studies supplied by service providers, and a range of qualitative methods, including interviews with council and project staff, service users, and a stakeholder survey. Quantitative data provided by workstream staff was also analysed. It should be noted, however, that there is limited quantitative data available that captures longer term outcomes for families, making it difficult to assess whether the FWP has made a positive long-term impact on the wellbeing of individuals and families or has led, for instance, to a significant increase in employment rates or a reduction in child poverty.

Data collection has been important to the FWP’s efforts to understand impact and guide service redesign, and the programme has adopted an approach grounded in local learning - using data not just for accountability, but to build a deeper understanding of families’ lived experiences. By valuing both the numbers and the stories behind them, practitioners have worked to ensure that data reflects the complexity and individuality of the people and places it serves. However, many practitioners highlighted a tension between the need for measurable outcomes and the reality of small, meaningful, but hard-to-capture progress. Data quality in the FWP is continuing to evolve, and while data limitations have made it difficult to fully evaluate progress on key outcomes, ongoing improvements are laying the foundation for more reliable, meaningful impact measurement in the future.