SHiFT is a learning organisation

SHiFT is a learning organisation, laser focused on realising positive change for the children and families we serve. We care more about getting it right than being right and we understand that getting it wrong sometimes and learning from our experiences are essential building blocks for practice that makes a long-lasting positive impact for children and families.

SHiFT Practices continually collect and reflect on data to measure progress, consider impact and enrich practice. Lead Guides and Practice Coordinators are supported in data collection and analysis by SHiFT’s Research and Evaluation Lead and Data and Insight Analyst who are part of the national team. Together, we:

use real-time data as part of group supervision to support ongoing local practice development;
reflect and learn quarterly on progress and practice data at Practice level through Local Boards; and
reflect and learn quarterly on trends and themes across SHiFT Practices through SHiFT’s national Practice Committee.

SHiFT’s national research and evaluation team also provide detailed evaluation insight at the midpoint and end of SHiFT Programme cycles. Our evaluation centres child experiences and uses grounded methods to understand the complexity and diversity of those experiences both before and during SHiFT. We seek to ‘make the important measurable, not the measurable important’.

Key milestones in the evaluation of SHiFT’s work to date are:

Internal process evaluation – ‘The SHiFT Difference’ – conducted by Dr Kirstine Szifris (June 2022)

Contribution stories examining the experiences of 43 children who had worked with SHiFT as of June 2022. Key findings included:

Two-thirds of children had been totally offence free since starting with SHiFT. Offence severity had reduced for all new offences;
48% reduction in the number of children going missing with SHiFT;
A third of children on care pathways had intervention reduced or closed.

Read more here - evaluation of SHiFT’s work

External economic analysis conducted by Cornish & Grey (June 2022)

Key findings were that for each child considered, costs avoided in the next five years by breaking cycles of crime now ranged from £1.8m to £164k. SHiFT costs £21k per child for 18 months. For every £1 spent on SHiFT £8 is saved over 5 years.

External implementation evaluation conducted by the Centre for Evidence & Implementation, funded by the Youth Endowment Fund (September 2022)

Key findings of the report were that SHiFT pilot Practices were successfully engaging the right children with flexibility and persistence to ensure children have the support they need. It was reported that SHiFT was seen as innovative and credible by professional stakeholders at all levels.