Massey in partnership with social research unit

Massey social policy experts are partnering with a new research centre to assess how well the country's social services are performing, particularly those dealing with domestic violence and child advocacy.

Impact Research New Zealand, an independent centre based in central Auckland, which officially opened this week, has been set up to explore the outcomes of the social services sector, both governmental and non-governmental.

University researchers will carry out qualitative and quantitative evaluations to develop and enhance the effectiveness of the work done by social service agencies, says Associate Professor Mike O’Brien. Dr O'Brien is a senior lecturer in social policy at the School of Social and Cultural Studies at Albany, and leads Massey's involvement with the centre.

He says social service funders and providers have endorsed the need for research, which will focus on identifying gaps, contributing to service development, improving service delivery where needed, and ultimately shaping and influencing government policy.

"The research will be of value in ensuring better security and continuity of funding for social services," he says. "It will also bring clarity about what the service is trying to do."

Public perceptions about the effectiveness of social services can sometimes be unfairly distorted by reports of statistical changes, he says. For example, a rise in the number of reported domestic violence incidences could reflect a higher rate of reporting prompted by greater public awareness, while not taking into account the successes of agencies helping to improve victims' lives.

One of the centre's first projects will be in the Waikato region, where the research unit will examine the delivery of family and community social services. "It's important that everyone involved in research projects doesn't feel under the microscope. The aim is to build up quality of practice in social services," says Dr O'Brien, who is widely recognised for his work researching and publishing on child poverty, social security and the impact of changes to social policy.

The centre's director, Dr Chris Holland, says all those who work in social services want to know that services are making a positive difference in the lives clients and in the wider community. "Funders increasingly want social service providers to be able to demonstrate the outcomes they are achieving, so that they know the funding they provide is being put to best use."

She says the unit's role will be one of support rather than monitoring, "We will work with social service agencies to help them identify the outcomes they want to achieve, decide the actions they need to take to produce those outcomes, and participate in measurements of progress."