- By Dartington SRU
- Posted on Thursday 27th November, 2014
Why don’t policy makers make more use of research evidence?
When we have a headache we reach for the painkillers: scientifically proven remedies that we know will make things better. So why do we not rush with the same speed to evidence-based remedies for social problems? What is it that gets in the way?An international team of researchers has systematically reviewed 145 worldwide studies that explore the impact of research on public policy in order to ide…
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- Posted on Tuesday 25th November, 2014
Learning how to improvise with lightly tied hands
One tension in the thinking about programme "fidelity" is between the stipulation that a developer’s specifications are followed in order to guarantee effectiveness, and the need for practitioners and local communities to feel they “own” what they are being asked to deliver.A balance between authority and autonomy has to be struck – and autonomy and ownership usually involve a degree of li…
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- Posted on Monday 24th November, 2014
Overcoming barriers to attending parenting programmes: beyond good intentions
Everyday experience tells us that good intentions are often simply not enough. While psychological theory suggests that the best predictor of behaviour is the intention to do something, the reality is often different: things get in the way.And so it is with parenting programmes, where, according to research published in the Journal of Children’s Services, the best intentions to join have little…
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