Changing communities by doing data differently
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In this blog, Jackie Brock discusses how they ‘do data differently’ at What Matters to You (WM2U), an initiative which collaborates with families in Dundee and Clackmannanshire, focusing on community-based systems change.
As I write this, What Matters to You (WM2U) has drawn to a close, however legacy plans are well underway in both local authority areas. So, it’s a good time to reflect on a key insight from our learning; that the effective use, and combination of, data and learning is a powerful tool for change.
Like CHEX’s own Health Issues in the Community course, WM2U emphasised the role of learning as a tool for transformation, enabling us to share and reflect on what we know now, generate new ideas, innovate and adapt based on feedback at every level.
We found that if learning is to be effective and achieve change, an important shift has to be made in how we interpret evidence. Quantitative and qualitative data is critical but how it is gathered and used needs to change - we have to ‘do data differently’.
Drowning in data but missing the evidence of experience
Every reader of this blog will almost certainly have felt they are drowning in data at any one time. Endless data is routinely collected from services but for children and families, it almost always misses what these services feel like from the families’ perspective.
The usefulness of data can also be limited by a lack of capacity to analyse it in a way that allows for learning and improving, rather than simply evaluating what happened in the past.
In a partnership between WM2U’s learning partner and Dundee City Council’s senior officer for children and families, a methodology for using longitudinal data to analyse children’s journeys through services has been developed. This allows different datasets which are usually used separately to form a more complete picture and shine a light on children’s lives as a whole, highlighting where intervention may have made a crucial difference.
A good return on investment for people and their communities
Dundee’s Communities Service-provided data showed us how many more people are involved in community activities as a result of WM2U activities, as well as where they come from and what their outcomes are.
Crucially, the outcomes include both personal outcomes, such as learning new skills, and community outcomes, such as becoming volunteers or even leaders in their local communities.
There is now clear evidence of the investment bringing returns to the community, with the newly-upskilled volunteers actively enhancing the wider CLD teams capacity, engaging with and training cohorts of new community members.
Money matters – evidencing the approach
‘Doing data differently’ means taking the time to properly recognise the real-life experience of community members and workers, reflecting and learning from their stories, using their experience alongside the numbers instead of a simple quantitative evaluation.
But there is a final aspect to which of us committed to achieving a preventative and voice-led approach to system change must pay attention. In a challenging context where there is no new funding, with services struggling and the scope for preventative work under continuous pressure, we have to assess and compellingly evidence the socio-economic value of our preventative and voice-led approaches. The bottom line is: money matters.
One of the important features of the WM2U legacy investment is our partnership with Dartington Service Design Lab, which is developing its methodology for assessing the financial costs and benefits of a voice-led, community-based, empowerment approach. We expect this to contribute to thinking about how we quantify the financial benefits of an approach rather than an intervention, and articulate these benefits effectively.
And we feel that the benefits are certainly worth the cost. If our work can contribute to Scotland’s aims to eradicating child poverty, then we certainly will have made a great investment and created a legacy to be proud of.
Dartington’s independent work will be available in early 2027.
In the meantime, you can check out the What Matters To You website for updates and detailed reports.