20 February 2024
WEBINAR – Producing Evidence or Ensuring It’s Used?
How a What Works Centre makes evidence for maximum impact.
Youth Futures is the What Works Centre for Youth Employment. But what does a What Works Centre do and what lessons can be shared from taking a What Works approach?
At Youth Futures, we aim to:
- understand the nature of the youth employment challenge in England through robust analysis and sharing of data
- generate new evidence through high quality evaluations
- synthesise evidence-based learning through the production of evidence resources and toolkits, and then
- embed recommendations for change in policy and practice.
We will be sharing our experiences and some of the practical examples of impact evaluations and evidence resources we’re using to make a difference for marginalised young people.
Youth Futures Foundation
Chris Goulden
Chris leads the Impact and Evidence team at Youth Futures Foundation. Previously he was Deputy Director of Evidence and Impact at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, where he has worked as Head and Deputy Director of Policy and Research, since joining the organisation as Poverty Programme Manager in 2003. He previously served as a policy analyst with the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and Senior Research Officer at the Home Office. He was a member of the Social Security Advisory Committee for 10 years from 2012-22.
Andrea Barry
Andrea is Principal Economist at Youth Future Foundation, interested in improving data infrastructure on underserved communities. Before this, Andrea was a Senior Analyst at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. She has finished a PhD in Economics at the University of York. In July 2020, Andrea gave evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee on the unequal impact of coronavirus on ethnic minorities. Andrea has also appeared on EuroNews, Bloomberg Radio, and in print to discuss issues related to employment and groups
Jane Colechin
Dr Jane Colechin, Deputy Director of Evidence and Evaluation, is a social researcher with a decade of experience working on high profile labour market, education and welfare reform evaluations and studies. Jane has particular expertise in theory-led evaluations and ensuring co-design is part of evaluation and programme delivery and ensures that rigorous and youth-informed principles are used in all of YFF’s evaluation and evidence processes. Jane is a member of the Evaluation Trial Advice Panel.
Anna Round
Anna Round is Head of Research and Impact at Youth Futures Foundation. Her research experience includes extensive work on education and skills, regional labour markets and economies, and young people’s issues. Before joining YFF she worked at IPPR North, after over a decade as a researcher in higher education and in government.
Session Chaired by:
Jessica Ozan
Council Member, UK Evaluation Society