Dr Julie Harris Principal Research Fellow University of Bedforshire The International Centre - Researching Child Exploitation, Violence and Trafficking

1. The ‘Hub and Spoke’ Evaluation
2013-17
Dr Julie Harris
Principal Research Fellow
Not to be reproduced without permission from the author

2. The International Centre
• Committed to increasing understanding of, and improving responses
to, child sexual exploitation, violence and trafficking in local, national
and international contexts
• Achieved through:
– academic rigour and research excellence
– collaborative and partnership based approaches to applied
social research
– meaningful and ethical engagement of children and young
people
– active dissemination and evidence-based engagement in theory,
policy and practice

3. Presentation outline
1. Overview of the CSEFA strategy
2. The Hub and Spoke Evaluation – aims, challenges,
design and scope.
3. Progress in year 1 and early themes emerging
4. The focus for year 2

4. The Child Sexual Exploitation Funders
Alliance (CSEFA)
• Building on previous research (Jago et al. 2011)
• A group of charitable funders aligning resources to safeguard
children from CSE
• Funders will each resource different elements of a strategy to
achieve the aim
• Overall aim: to position CSE as an integral part of mainstream
safeguarding (child protection) activity

5. THE CSEFA STRATEGY
Four key strands
1. Extending services using the ‘Hub and Spoke’ model for service
development
2. Supporting the development of local strategy and agencies’
responses to CSE
3. Facilitating young people’s participation
4. Sharing the learning through knowledge exchange

6. The ‘Hub and Spoke’ Model

7. Expanding into new LSCB areas

8. Expanding reach within one LSCB

9. Criteria for Hub services

10. The Hub and Spoke Evaluation

11. Overall aim
•To provide knowledge about the potential of this model to bring about
cultural and systemic change in the way that children’s services respond
to child sexual exploitation

12. Research Questions
• How does the Hub and Spoke model develop strategic influence
and promote effective CSE policy frameworks, procedures and
protocols that support cross agency responses?
• What is the impact of the model on increasing the awareness,
identification and response to CSE amongst key agencies working
with children and young people?
• What local conditions and arrangements determine and best support
the development of sustainable and effective Spoke services?
• How should Hub services support Spoke staff in working within host
agencies and over geographical distance?
• How do services effectively engage young people?

13. Challenges
• Multiple sites
• Variation in models of practice intervention
• Length of intervention linked to outcomes achieved
• Multiple objectives of pilot programme

14. Potential variables:
• Existing local networks and relationships
• Service structures
• Procedures and protocols
• Availability of resources
• Physical setting of service
• Levels of engagement of various participants
• Local demographics
• Local models of exploitation

15. Realist Evaluation
• Evaluate results over multi-sites and different time
periods – building cumulative knowledge as project
progresses
• Treads middle path between qualitative and quantitative
data collection – combining depth with rigour
• Supports formative and summative approach
• Reveal and explain the collective outcomes footprint
• What works, for whom, in what circumstances and why?
(Pawson and Tilley, 1997)

16. Three key aspects:
• Direct work with young people and individual case
consultancy
• Strategic influence and local policy development
• Training and awareness raising of practitioners in key
agencies

17. National
Local policy
Operational /
Service
Practitioner
(Spoke)
Young
person
Multiple ‘contexts’ for consideration

18. Early themes emerging 2013-14

19. Year One Hubs and Spokes

20. Spoke worker locations

21. Role of the Hub in supporting Spoke
development

22. Role of the Spoke
•Training
•Identification
•Consultancy
•Support
•Direct work
•Caseload
Young
people
Practitioners
Agencies

23. Spoke worker activities in year 1

24. Key themes emerging
Local strategy
• Similar structures developing
within LSCBs for tackling CSE
• Hub involvement can
engender learning across a
region and LA boundaries
• A local voice in these
structures help to secure
appropriate arrangements for
Spoke and their integration
Operational issues
• Location is vital to visibility
• Development of referral
pathways
• Funding streams may
determine make up and size of
caseload
• … and ultimately balance and
focus of the work

25. Focus in year 2
• Consistent data collection about activities and outputs, referrals,
characteristics of young people across the sites
• Unique contribution of voluntary sector provision to safeguarding
agenda and provision
• Effectiveness of Hub and Spoke at extending reach into different
communities
• Development of participation strand to evaluation

26. Year 2 Hubs
and Spokes

27. Geographical
coverage in
years 1 and 2

28. Key themes emerging
Supporting Spoke workers
• Funding streams and location
also determine management,
support and supervision
arrangements.
• Spoke worker identity and
maintenance of voluntary
sector ethos are key.
• Importance of regular and
various contact with Hub
• Breadth of the Spoke role
Engaging young people
• Visibility of Spoke to young
people
• Diverse venues
• Use of creative methods
• Voluntary sector ethos and
approach
• Personal qualities

29. Year 3 Hubs
and Spokes

30. Julie.harris@beds.ac.uk
For more information on our work including
research publications, short films and outputs from
young people please visit
www.beds.ac.uk/ic