Every now and again I try to do some pro-bono work. For me this often means doing some work with survivors of rape or sexual assault. This year I decided to do a project on behalf of a whole sector rather than one organisation. And so my gift to anyone who works in the rape crisis sector is a literature review of everything that was published on rape and sexual assault in 2011. I have tried to condense the material down as much as possible and translate the findings into more user-friendly language.

I hope you find it useful – I’ve enjoyed getting such a broad picture on the whole field.

In an earlier post I wrote about my involvement in the Social Impact Bond evaluation for the Ministry of Justice at HMP Peterborough (click here for a link to the previous posts).

The first research report for this project has been published and is available to the public here.

Abstract:

Ministry of Justice Research Series 5/11

Lessons learned from the planning and early implementation of the Social Impact Bond at HMP Peterborough
This report is the first output of an independent evaluation of the Social Impact Bond (SIB) at HMP Peterborough, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice.

A SIB is a form of payment by results in which funding is obtained from private investors to pay for interventions to improve social outcomes. The Peterborough SIB, launched in September 2010, aims to reduce reoffending by prisoners who have served short custodial sentences.

This report is based primarily on the findings from interviews with 22 individuals from organisations involved in the development and implementation of the SIB. It aims to identify early lessons which may inform future SIBs or wider payment by results pilots under consideration by the Ministry of Justice and other government departments.

Last week I presented the research findings for a project I completed for Portsmouth Area Rape Crisis Service (PARCS) at a one day conference – Rape reduction? An outreach perspective.  The day was hosted by PARCS as part of their 30 year anniversary celebrations.

The day started with a welcome address by Kim Hosier (Centre Director at PARCS) and an overview of youth outreach work by Tora Eastwood (Young persons outreach worker at PARCS). PARCS has been working with young people since 1996 and delivers a range of outreach services to schools, colleges, universities, and other agencies in the area. PARCS aims to work with young people to make them aware of their service, to provide information on consent and the law, to discuss sex in relationships, and to tackle some of the myths around rape and sexual abuse. All of this seemed very timely given that the headlines of all of the papers that day focused on Ken Clarke’s comments about different ‘types’ of rape.

The research that I produced for PARCS included a literature review of the area and an explorative study that examined the youth outreach sessions. Overall the research found that the sessions that PARCS delivered were fun and informative but the sessions could only be developed further if PARCS incorporated a clear theory of change into their work.

The one day conference was PARCS’s response to this challenge. Since the conclusion of the research project PARCS has been exploring the use of the ‘Bystander’ approach to rape and sexual abuse. This perspective looks at the issue from a community perspective rather than only focusing on victims and perpetrators of abuse.

Our day was rounded up by a group of students form Milton Cross school who performed a piece of drama that they had created as a result of a workshop facilitated by PARCS. It really was a great piece and helped bring the topics to life.

It has been a great pleasure working with PARCS – they were very open to the research process, they have taken the findings on board and have worked hard to improve the service that they offer to their community. I wish them the best of luck for another productive 30 years.

I am part of the research team at RAND Europe who are evaluating the Social Impact Bond project at HMP Peterborough.

This project is the first of its kind and it is fantastic to be part of the research team. Below is some information about the project from RAND Europe:

“A SIB is a form of payment by results (PBR) in which funding is obtained from private investors to pay for interventions to improve social outcomes. If these interventions succeed in improving outcomes, this should result in savings to government and wider benefits to society. As part of a SIB, the government agrees to pay a proportion of these savings back to the investors. If outcomes do not improve, investors do not receive a return on their investment.

Because service providers are paid in advance under a SIB, this form of PBR removes the upfront costs of service delivery from government and shifts the financial risk to private investors. Service providers do not bear financial risk, which allows a greater scope for involvement by not-for-profit and third sector organisations. Additionally, SIBs offer investors new opportunities for social investment with a ‘blended return’ (a mix of financial and social return).

In September 2010 the Ministry of Justice launched the first ever SIB for funding public services. Social Finance, a financial intermediary, obtained approximately £5 million of investment funding from private individuals and charities. This fund is being used to pay for interventions for offenders serving short prison sentences (less than 12 months) at HMP Peterborough, a prison in eastern England. If reconviction events fall by 10% or more (compared to a matched control group) the Ministry of Justice will make an outcome payment and investors will have made a return on their investment.

The evaluation

RAND Europe has been commissioned to evaluate the development, implementation and operation of this first ever SIB. Potentially lasting up to eight years, the evaluation will

• identify early lessons from the development and implementation of the SIB to inform other PBR pilots
• examine the services funded by the SIB and their effectiveness at reducing reconvictions by Peterborough prisoners
• assess whether, and if so how, this funding model leads to innovation and greater efficiency
• analyse costs and benefits of the SIB

RAND’s evaluation will provide some of the first evidence on the operation of this funding model, informing the possible development and roll-out of SIBs in other policy areas and in other parts of the UK.”

My role on the project is to help with the planning, data collection, analysis and write up of the three reports that are due over the lifetime of the contract. The Ministry of Justice will be making the first of these reports available to the public later in the year.

I think that it is important to publish your work – whether you work in a university department or as a freelance social researcher. Where possible I submit all of the work I do to academic peer-reviewed journals.

A project that I conducted on behalf of the National Probation Service has been published on line this week. It will be published in print over the next few weeks.

The project examined the experiences of female offenders who particiapted in mixed-gender rehabilitation groups. Click here for a link to the article.