Services
Our services.
Evidence, action and advice, from a first question to lasting change.
Use one, or all three.
Each service is complete on its own or in combination. Research informs practice, practice tests and sharpens advice, and advice shapes what we research next.
Click a service in the diagram, or scroll down, for more on each.
Research you can rely on.
Finding out what you need to know, whether you are starting from scratch or already under way.
Maybe you want to know whether what you are already doing is working. Or you want to look into something new: a topic, a group of people, a setting you do not yet know well. Our research services can help with questions like these, and many more.
What can it do?
- Find out what people think, feel or doSurveys, interviews and focus groups, or a closer look at the information you already hold.
- See what is already knownBring existing studies and reports together into one clear picture.
- Know whether it is workingSimple, repeatable ways to follow progress and spot problems early.
- Show the difference you makeOutcome reports and case studies that others can trust.
Examples of what we create include a findings report, an evidence review, a data insight report, an evaluation report and an impact and case study pack. These are only examples: every project is shaped around you.
What is research?
Research is a careful, honest way of finding things out. It means asking a clear question, gathering good information and making sense of what it shows, so that decisions rest on more than habit or a hunch.
Research can be something small, such as a short survey of the people who use your service, or a quick look at what has already been published. It can be something large, such as an evaluation running across several sites over a number of years. And everything in between.
How is it done?
Every project starts with a conversation about your question, your people and your budget. We agree a plan, gather and analyse the information, and bring it back to you in a form you can use: a short report, a presentation or a briefing for your team.
You decide how deep and how quick it needs to be. All our work follows the same four practices. See how we work.
Practice tailored to your needs.
Turning knowledge into impact. We help you make effective use of new or existing information and resources, to drive change, find efficiencies and create impact.
Maybe you have findings or good ideas that deserve to be put to use. Or your team needs new skills, or a clear way to reach the people who matter. Our practice services can help with challenges like these, and many more.
What can it do?
Build skills and confidence
Training, workshops and professional development, in person or online.
Reach the people who need it
A plan for who hears what, in which form and through which channels.
Turn ideas into change
Programme design, implementation plans and campaigns.
Share what you know with authority
Evidence-based reports, with the articles, talks and posts to go with them.
Examples of what we create include a sector report, a set of shorter pieces, a training workshop, a communication plan and an implementation plan. These are only examples: every project is shaped around you.
What is practice?
Practice is where knowledge becomes action. It means taking what is known, from your own information, new research or existing evidence, and turning it into something people can use: a training session, a plan for reaching the right audience, a programme or a published report.
Practice can be small, such as a single well-run workshop or a one-page plan for sharing your findings. It can be large, such as a training programme across a whole organisation or a campaign reaching a whole sector. Most work sits somewhere in between.
How is it done?
Most projects begin by asking what you want to change and who needs to be involved. We then design the approach and, if you wish, deliver it. Or we plan it so that you, or another provider, can deliver it.
You decide how much we do and how much you do yourselves. The same four practices sit behind all of it. See how we work.
Consultancy you can trust.
Advice you can act on, when you need a clear plan or a steer on what to do next.
Maybe you know you need evidence but are not sure what to ask, or how. Or you are weighing up a proposal, about to commission someone, or want an independent view before you decide. Our consultancy services can help with questions like these, and many more.
What can it do?
- Turn an idea into a clear planTurn an idea into a clear question, plan and budget.
- Work out what success looks likeDecide how you will measure it, from the start.
- Get an independent viewA critical friend for your service, report or evidence base, and short briefings to support decisions.
- Buy the right thingHelp to write a clear brief and compare bids fairly.
Examples of what we create include a project plan, an evaluation framework, an independent review and a supplier brief. These are only examples: every project is shaped around you.
What is consultancy?
Consultancy is independent, expert advice. We help you decide what to do, in what order and how, before you spend time and money on it.
Consultancy can be as small as a short conversation and a one-page note on your options, or as large as a detailed plan for a programme running over several years, with plenty in between. Either way the aim is clarity: what you are trying to achieve, what options make sense and what the next steps look like.
How is it done?
We usually begin by talking through what you are trying to achieve. Then we give you advice in a form you can use: a short design note, a plan, a brief or a review.
We can carry the work out, or hand you a plan or brief for your own team or another supplier. Our approach rests on four practices, whatever the size of the job. See how we work.
Get in touch
Ask us a question.
Tell us a little about what you have in mind, or ask us anything.
Not sure where to start? Try the finder, or see our services.