Time to Connect Evaluation

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Time to Connect Evaluation

  • IRAS ID

    223586

  • Contact name

    Naomi Harflett

  • Contact email

    naomi.harflett@ndti.org.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    National Development Team for Inclusion

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    2 years, 7 months, 12 days

  • Research summary

    Time to Connect is a project which has been funded by the Big Lottery Accelerating Ideas fund to support people living in traditional care settings to increase their community interaction and wellbeing.

    Older people and people with learning disabilities living in traditional care settings can lose community connections, skills and the opportunity to contribute to their community. As a result, they can be isolated, with few connections outside of the care setting, and with poorer quality of life and wellbeing. Time to Connect will train staff in care home settings to become community inclusion mentors and work with people in care settings to increase participation in the community and to contribute to the community through the opportunity to become involved in their local Time Bank.

    As a new intervention an evaluation will be conducted to:
    a) Measure the impact of the project on the lives of those living in care settings participating in the project;
    b) Identify ‘what works’ in the delivery of the project (e.g. the role of the different organisations involved, staff attitude and approach, delivery and approach to support for community mentors) to facilitate or impede positive outcomes; and
    c) Use learning to support subsequent phases and roll out of the project and inform how success can be replicated in care settings beyond the project.

  • REC name

    Social Care REC

  • REC reference

    17/IEC08/0014

  • Date of REC Opinion

    19 Apr 2017

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion