How an effective evaluation led to £1.29 million funding for Sense
Sense’s Early Intervention and Play Service supports children aged 0-8 with complex disabilities and their families with communication, interaction, and play. In Spring 2022 Fiveways was commissioned to conduct an independent evaluation of the pilot service. Our findings contributed to a £1.29 million grant from National Lottery for Sense to expand the service.
We couldn’t have secured the funding without Fiveways – the feedback they generated through the evaluation has been fantastic in supporting the project and showing the impact we have.
Our evaluation included
• Online surveys to capture parents’ feedback after sessions.
• Analysis of findings across different types of session (e.g. a block of weekly sessions during term time, and one-off holiday sessions).
• In depth interviews with parents over Zoom (if recruited from the surveys) and in-person during two researcher visits to the project.
• Observation of sessions during two researcher visits.
• In depth interviews with staff and stakeholders – both over Zoom and in-person.
Our evaluation revealed
The sessions allowed parents to notice more of what their child could do rather than what they couldn’t.
• 76% of parents reported improvements in their communication and ability to play with their child.
• 74% of parents saw improvements in their child’s happiness and levels of relaxation.
Meeting other parents was a source of emotional support and practical advice. 100% of parents would recommend the service to others caring for children aged 0-8 with complex disabilities.