Short Abstract

How can we ethically and robustly evaluate domestic abuse recovery services for children? This roundtable brings together evaluators, delivery partners, and lived experience experts to explore barriers, solutions, and lessons from two pioneering UK pilot RCTs.

Description

Domestic abuse affects one in five children in England. The consequences can be profound and enduring, from poor mental and physical wellbeing to difficulties with building healthy relationships in the future. Only 29% of parents seeking support for their child(ren) are able to access it. Robust evidence on what works to improve outcomes for children affected by domestic abuse is lacking because domestic abuse recovery services for children remain under-evaluated. Without evidence on what shifts the dial on outcomes, policymakers and funders lack the confidence to sustainably invest in services that could transform the lives of many children and young people if delivered at scale. At the same time, evaluating these services is complex and requires thoughtful consideration of the ethical concerns around some methodologies and appropriately mitigating these concerns in the evaluation design.

This roundtable will explore how impact evaluation can be done ethically and effectively in this complex policy area, drawing on pioneering randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of two recovery programmes: 1) Bounce Back 4 Kids, a trauma-informed programme for children aged 3 to 11 years and their non-abusive parents, and 2) WeMatter, an online group recovery programme for children and young people aged 8 to 17 years.

The discussion will bring together a small group of evaluators, programme facilitators, and lived experience experts across the two projects to share practical lessons and discuss key questions such as:

- How can evaluators and service providers collaborate effectively to maintain programme quality, participant wellbeing, and methodological rigor?

- What practical advice does the panel have for ensuring service providers, evaluators and those with lived experience work in genuine partnership?

- How can we balance methodological rigor with ethical concerns in evaluations involving vulnerable children and families?

- What strategies help to overcome barriers to recruitment, retention, and resource constraints?

- What role do evaluators and commissioners play in supporting service providers to build their evaluation capacity?

- How might evidence help make the case to secure sustainable funding and why is this important?

At the time of the conference, both projects will be well into the delivery of the full-scale trial, offering a unique opportunity to reflect on early learning and the transition between pilot and full-scale phases. Attendees will leave with insights into collaborative and iterative evaluation approaches, ethical design, and strategies for embedding evaluation cultures in under-evaluated policy areas. This session will demonstrate how generating evidence on what works, for whom, and in what context can shape policy and funding decisions, ensuring more children can receive the support they need.

(Note to abstract reviewers: We have not confirmed exactly who from the project teams will participate, as it's been a very busy time for them wrapping up the pilots of theses evaluations this month. But there is a lot of interest across both project teams to be involved in this roundtable discussion. We are also proposing to have an independent academic expert to moderate this discussion who is neither from Foundations, nor any of our partnering organisations.)