FIfe Gingerbread Early Years Evaluation

It has been commissioned by Fife Gingerbread, a voluntary sector organisation that provides information, advice and support services to lone parents and families in need all over Fife. Through one-to-one support and group work, the organisation seeks to provide accessible, approachable and non-judgemental support, advice and information. The overall aim is to empower lone parents and families in need to promote their wellbeing and opportunities, and provide them with the capacity and resilience to navigate barriers such as poverty, isolation and poor mental health. The service currently runs an 'Early Years Collective'. It is currently supporting approx. 120 families in the Fife area. The client group are all families with children aged 0-8 years old living at home where there is an identified well-being concern. The local authority will re-commission the service in October 2023. It is therefore an opportune time to reflect on the Fife Gingerbread Early Years programme of work, and the difference it is making to the lives of families in Fife. To do this, independent consultants are required to undertake a formal project evaluation. In particular, Fife Gingerbread wish to understand what aspects of their service, and the way they work, helps families most. What is the impact of the service, and what it is that really makes a difference? Notably, they wish to understand not only what works, but also what aspects of service delivery are less successful, and how these can be improved. In summary, the overall objective of the evaluation will be to examine the impact of the Early Years programme on families. Specifically it will: • Examine the methods employed for producing change in families and their circumstances. • Explore the perspectives of families about their experiences working with the project. • Provide an overview of keyworkers perspectives on the impact the programme is making. • And finally, understand how the lives of the family members have changed as a result of their involvement in the project.