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Background
Amanda joined the Centre in September
2004 after studying for her doctorate at the University
of Nottingham. Her doctoral research explored the health behaviour
of adults living in UK cities and she is currently working on two
inter-departmental research projects (see below for details).
Research Interests
Amanda is particularly interested
in the application of qualitative research methods and has a wide
range of research interests including health and physical activity,
lifestyle, social capital and social exclusion. Her research experience includes focus groups with adults and young people, interviews and observations.
Current Projects
In addition to the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of New Local Safeguarding Children Boards Amanda is currently working on two
research projects in conjunction with the Institute
of Youth Sport; an evaluation of the School
Sports Co-ordinator Partnership for the Department
of Education and Skills, the Department
for Media, Culture and Sport, Sport
England and the Youth
Sport Trust and an Evaluation
of the New Opportunities for PE and Sports Initiative for the
Big Lottery
Fund.
LHA National Roll Out – Tenants and Advisors Early Experiences of the Local Housing Allowance and Money Management
This is a Department for Work and Pensions funded study to explore (qualitatively) tenants’ and advisors’ early experiences of the LHA national roll out, with a particular focus on issues arising from the direct payment of LHA to tenants and how tenants manage their LHA money. This research forms part of a wider two year review to monitor the impact of LHA at a national level. The project started in June 2009 with the final report submitted in June 2010. It is anticipated that the report will be published in the summer.
Experiences of using the Pension, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS)
As part of promoting greater independence and well-being in later life, the government wants to make sure that everyone who is entitled to certain benefits actually receives them, and that they are delivered in the most effective way.
At present, not all of those who are entitled to benefits for older people are claiming them and little is known about how people find out information about their entitlements.
This research is looking at what kind of events in people’s lives may prompt contact with the Pensions, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS), and what people’s experience of service delivery has been. The PDCS hopes this research will help them to make the process easier and more effective for its customers in the future.
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the New Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB)
The Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP), in partnership with the Centre for Children and Family Research (CCFR), undertook an evaluation of the effectiveness of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) in England. The issues covered by this study are central to the current government agenda for children’s services, underpinned by the Children Act 2004, to ensure an integrated approach to service provision and that children are safeguarded and their welfare promoted. This project, sponsored by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department of Health, commenced in January 2008 and completed in March 2010.
Report: France, A., Munro, E. R. and Waring, A. (2010) The Evaluation of Arrangements for Effective Operation of the New Local Safeguarding Children Boards in England. DCSF Research Brief DCSF-RBX-10-03.
School Sports Co-ordinator Partnership - impact study
CRSP is part of a consortium, led by the Institute of Youth Sport, which is evaluating the effectiveness of the School Sports Partnership Programme in delivering its policy objectives.
The School Sports Partnership Programme is a joint initiative of the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and involving Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust, launched in September 2000. The programme's aims are to:
- increase the participation of school age children in sports,
- improve the standards of performance, and
- increase the number of qualified and active coaches.
The programme has so far put into post more than 8,000 key personnel, whose task it is to co-ordinate sport and sport teaching activities by creating local networks of schools linked to specialist sports colleges.
The impact study commenced in 2003 and will be completed by 2008. It has both quantitative and qualitative components. The evaluation team will gather part of the information through a questionnaire distributed to all Partnership Development Managers and to a sample of School Sport Coordinators and Primary Link Teachers. Further, more detailed, information will be gathered through a series of case studies focused on individual partnerships. Twenty in depth case studies will be compiled in each of the five years of the study. Of these, five will be longitudinal studies.
The consortium includes the Institute of Sport and Leisure Policy, the Physical Education and Sports Pedagogy Research Group, the British Heart Foundation National Centre (all based at Loughborough University), and the Centre for Developing and Evaluating Lifelong Learning (University of Nottingham). The project is being conducted in association with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Sponsor: Department of Education and Skills, Department for Media, Culture and Sport, Sport England and Youth Sport Trust
Evaluation of the New Opportunities Fund for PE and Sport
CRSP is part of a consortium, led by the Institute of Youth Sport, which is conducting a six year evaluation of the New Opportunities for PE and Sport initiative.
The initiative has six key outcomes that projects are expected to achieve:
- improved physical education and sport in schools;
- higher standards across the whole school through PE, sport and other forms of structured activity;
- better opportunities to increase the levels of physical activity among the school age population and, more generally, local communities;
- improved collaboration, co-operation and partnership between schools and their communities;
- promotion of social inclusion through access to, and use of, sports and outdoor adventure facilities by all groups in society;
- innovation and best practice in the design and management of facilities.
Drawing on qualitative and quantitative methods the evaluation includes:
Seven fast track case studies to evaluate effective practice and demonstrate innovative approaches or designs, to offer examples of effective practice for the main track projects.
Eleven core local authority case studies have been selected, geographically spread across the UK. The case studies involve portfolio level evaluation visits (interviews with key portfolio level stakeholders) and project level evaluation visits (interviews with key stakeholders, pupil surveys, community user surveys and focus groups with young people).
A further 18 telephone case studies have been selected across the UK. These have been designed to further explore partnership working in the delivery of the programme and to identify examples of innovation and effective practice in a more diverse range of settings.
Surveys are used to collect quantitative data across the UK, on the impact of the NOPES initiative. Baseline and subsequent annual surveys will mainly be used to measure changes in participation over time.
Sponsor: the Big Lottery Fund
Recent Projects
National Youth Agency Briefing Papers
The National Youth Agency (NYA) commissioned a series of five briefing papers on the Every Child Matters core outcomes for children and young people - one for each theme.
The five outcomes are: to be healthy; to be safe; to enjoy and achieve; to make a positive contribution; and to achieve economic well-being.
CRSP, drawing on the expertise of Professor Alan France, was responsible for writing two of the papers: Staying Safe (Book 3) and Making a Positive Contribution (Book 5). These papers focus on the making a positive contribution and staying safe strands of Every Child Matters. The papers also provide an overview of relevant Government policy, draw on academic research evidence and consider the contribution youth work makes to delivering services for young people across the local authority. The papers will also be used to raise awareness of youth work.
Sponsor
National Youth Agency
Reference
France, A., Sutton, L., Sandu, A. and Waring, A. (April 2007) Making a Positive Contribution: the implications for youth work of Every Child Matters. Leicester: National Youth Agency, Book 5.
Publications
Articles in refereed journals
Shaw, I. and Crompton, A. (2003) “Theory, Like Mist on Spectacles, Obscures Vision” in Evaluation, vol.9(2), pp.192-204.
Waring, A. and Waring, J. (forthcoming 2009) ‘Looking the Part: Embodying the Discourse of Organisational Professionalism in the City’ in Current Sociology.
Waring, A. (2008) ‘Health Club Use and ‘Lifestyle’: Exploring the Boundaries between Work and Leisure’ in Leisure Studies, vol 27(3), pp295-309.
Book chapters
Waring, A. (2008) ‘Working Out: The Role of Exercise in the Quest for Career Success’ in Wheaton, B. and Gilchrist, P. title to be confirmed. Brighton: Leisure Studies Association.
Reports and Working Papers
Waring, A. and Houlihan, B. (2008) The Impact of School Sport Partnerships on Pupil Attainment. Loughborough: Institute of Youth Sport.
France, A., Sandu, A. and Sutton, L., Waring, A., (2007) Making a Positive Contribution. National Youth Agency, Book 5.
Waring, A. and Mason, C. (2007) Sport and Social Inclusion. NOPES and the promotion of social inclusion: early evaluation findings. Loughborough: The Institute of Youth Sport.
Nevill, M., Lindsey, I., Waring, A., Mason, C., Jeanes, R., Armour, K., Gibbons, C., Harvey, J., Houlihan, B. and Jones, R. (2007) Evaluation of the New Opportunities for PE and Sport Initiative: Annual Report Year Three. Loughborough: Loughborough University.
Houlihan, B., Padley, M. and Crompton, A. (2007) School Sports Partnerships: Annual Monitoring and Evaluation Report 2006. Loughborough: Loughborough University.
Nevill, M., Almond, L., Davies, A., Crompton, A., Roberts, S., Houlihan, B., Lindsey, I. and Mason, C. (2006) Evaluation of the New Opportunities for PE and Sport Initiative: Annual Report Year Two. Loughborough: Loughborough University.
Houlihan,B., Padley, M. and Crompton, A. (2006) School Sports Partnerships: Annual Monitoring and Evaluation Report 2005. Loughborough: Loughborough University.
Nevill, M., Almond, L., Armour, K., Coalter, F., Crompton, A., Davis, A., Dobson, B., Houlihan, B., Lindsey, I., Mason, C. and Simkin, C. (2005) Evaluation of the New Opportunities for PE and Sport Initiative: Annual Report Year One. Loughborough: Loughborough University.
Conference and Seminar Papers
2008
‘Physical Education as Embodied Practice: the Development of Capital Through Body Work and Physical Activity’. Paper presented at the BSA/SPA Body in Social Policy Conference, Leeds University.
‘Premier’ Health Club Use and the Quest for Occupational Success’ invited paper, presented at the staff seminar, the Centre for Scientific and Cultural Research in Sport, Roehampton University.
2007
‘Working Out: Health Club Use and the Creation of a “Workstyle” Amongst Professional City Workers’. Paper presented at the Leisure Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Brighton.
2006
‘Working Out: Body Image as the Motivation Behind Health Club Use’. Paper presented at the Institute of Youth Sport Seminar Series, Loughborough University.
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