Learning insights from how we conducted a Level 4 Standard evaluation of a navigator programme.
Rocket Science has supported many Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) with research, evaluation and grant management.
We are pleased to be able to share learnings from our evaluation of Plan B in South Yorkshire. Plan B is a custody navigator programme. Navigator programmes can be delivered in custody suites, hospitals and/or the community. Navigators work in the spaces between crisis and change, aiming to meet people at a reachable and teachable moment, build trust quickly, and create the conditions for long-term change away from future violence.
But their impact can be hard to measure for all sorts of reasons.
In our latest learning paper Ciaran McDonald and Iona Nixon discuss our approach to evaluating Plan B, what we found, and what the findings mean for VRUs more widely.
Desistance from crime is not linear; people relapse, recover and grow at different speeds, and external systems (e.g., housing, health) shape outcomes as much as individual factors. For many people, progress often looks like two steps forward followed by one step back.
This complexity means VRUs need evaluation approaches that:
- Capture impact beyond binary reoffending metrics
- Track progress across multiple domains and levels
- Link emerging outcomes to long-term reductions in violence
- Measure quality as well as quantity of change
- Understand not just if a model works, but how and for whom
Ciaran and Iona detail the methodology and what we learnt from the process to help bring consistency in how these kinds of programmes could be measured in the future.
If you want to find out more information about our work then get in touch.
