Background: How the Generic Social Outcomes were developed

Context

MLA’s decision to develop a social outcomes framework was informed by several factors. At a general level, these included:

• The need to support museums, libraries and archives in the move towards more outcome-based approaches to evaluation (see policy context (PDF 26KB)) for more information on this)
• The desire to build on the generic learning outcomes, to address both group outcomes and health and well-being

At a more specific level, the MLA-funded 'evidence base (Word 1.26MB)' research on the social impact of museums, libraries and archives had suggested the potential of museums, libraries and archives in developing ‘social capital.’ Social capital is a term that identifies a value in the development of networks and linkages between groups and individuals, with the ‘evidence base’ research suggesting that cultural participation was linked to the development of social capital. At about the same time, the London Renaissance Hub began to use the idea of social capital in the evaluation of heritage activity with refugee groups.

If you want to find out more about social capital, take a look at the Refugee Heritage Project report (PDF 1.39MB). This isn’t necessary for using the Generic Social Outcome (GSO) framework, but it is part of the context for its development and piloting.

Developing the prototype GSO framework

In Summer 2005, the Burns Owen Partnership (BOP) was appointed to work on the development and piloting of GSOs.
The first stages were to identify pilot organisations and develop a draft outcomes framework. Pilot sites were identified in conjunction with the MLA Partnership regional agencies.

The draft outcomes framework, used in the piloting, was informed by:

• The London Hub refugee heritage project
• Identification of the sector’s potential social contribution to key drivers of government policy, through consultation with external bodies (e.g. IDeA, Audit Commission, DCMS) and a review of relevant policy documents
• Workshops of MLA Partnership regional agencies and pilot organisations

Piloting of the draft framework

Ten museum, library and archive services worked with the consultants to pilot and develop GSOs.  Additional work has been conducted in Wales, supported by CyMAL.

In-depth piloting was carried out in five sites, looking at eight separate projects or activities. These were:

• Isle of Wight Libraries: Rhyme Time
• Galleries of Justice, Nottingham: Mock Trials, Recycle (youth justice work)
• Tyne and Wear Museums: Bollywood exhibition and film-making project
• Lincolnshire Libraries and Museums: ESOL (libraries) and CulturED (museum learning)
• Essex Museums: Reminiscence Network

In these organisations, staff worked with BOP to develop approaches to data collection specifically designed to capture social outcomes. Case studies from some of these organisations are available. In addition, Essex libraries piloted the framework, independently of the consultants, but again designing approaches to data collection.
 
Further piloting has taken place in another five organisations / projects. These received little support from the consultants. They were much lower scale and lighter touch in nature, typically involving a one-off exercise of reviewing existing evaluation material and / or more general feedback. The organisations involved with this piloting were:

• Suffolk Libraries: Tot Rock/Baby Bounce
• Camden Libraries: Refugee Work Experience Project
• Eastside Community Heritage (a community archive group): Working Lives of the Thames Gateway (Heritage Lottery Fund project) 
• Cumbria Museums: Third Age learning Initiative
• Rotherham Libraries and Archives: Remember Us (Heritage Lottery Fund project)

Findings from piloting

The piloting of the GSO framework found that it was successful in enabling museums, libraries and archives to capture and quantify their impact on social and community themes. This went beyond the individual learning outcomes.

Detailed findings from Tyne and Wear, Isle of Wight and the Galleries of Justice can be found in the case studies. Selected findings are used here to illustrate how the framework can evidence social outcomes. For example, in Isle of Wight Libraries, the pilot results demonstrated social outcomes for parents and carers as well as improvements in children’s well-being:

• 88% of parents and carers felt that participating in rhyme time had improved their children’s well-being (health and well-being outcome area)
• 90% of parents and carers had met new people through RhymeTime, with 58% saying they had met new people that they intended to stay in touch with (stronger and safer communities outcome area – developing group dialogue and understanding).

One key aspects of the GSOs is the idea that outcome data will be more robust and reliable if it is coming from more than one source or perspective. So, in the Isle of Wight, the findings with parents and carers were backed up by local health workers.

Equally compelling findings came from the piloting at the Galleries of Justice. Looking at the Mock Trials, it was found that:

• 91% of the young people felt that they understood more about how crime could affect people in their areas (corresponding to the stronger and safer communities outcome area)
• 74% of young people felt they understood their rights better (linking to the strengthening public life outcomes area).

Again, the GSO methodology allowed these finding to be corroborated with evidence from partner organisations. 83% of group leaders felt that the Mock Trials increased young people’s understanding of their rights.

Other conclusions from the piloting included:

• It is easier to use the framework with projects or programmes that have clear aims and objectives
• The methodology works better with activities that are practitioner-led or facilitated, rather than with self-directed or more ‘casual’ activities (eg museum attendance, book borrowing).

This needs to be borne in mind when thinking about how and when to use the GSOs.

In addition to the main findings about evidencing the impact, the piloting also showed the framework’s value in supporting service development. The page on delivering better services discusses these impacts in more detail.

Follow-up to the piloting

After the pilots took place, workshops were held with the pilot sites and the MLA regional agencies. Following this, the framework (PDF 76KB) was slightly revised into its current form and case studies written up. These are available here, alongside guidance on how to use the framework

Case studies

 Tyne and Wear Museums (PDF 135KB)
 Isle of Wight Libraries (PDF 100KB)
 Galleries of Justice - Mock Trials (PDF 61KB)
 Galleries of Justice - Recycle (PDF 103KB)