Binks Hub co-director Emma Davidson and Lisa Howard have been working with Fife Gingerbread on a service user evaluation. It used collaborative and creative methods to explore how the Gingerbread service is being delivered, and what elements are helping families most. The aim of the evaluation was not only to give insight into what works, but also what aspects of service delivery are less successful, and how these can be improved.

The evaluation took place between August-October 2023, and focused on the following specific questions:

• What approaches and methods are being used to produce change in families and their circumstances?
• What difference do Fife Gingerbread Support workers want to make in the lives of the families they work with?
• What are the views and experiences of families working with the project, and what support is making the biggest difference to them?
• How have families current and future lives changed as a result of their involvement in the project?
• What improvements can be made to increase the success and impact of the Early Years Team

Research methods comprised of three staff workshops that involved creative methods and collaborative analysis, 15 qualitative interviews with families and a service user survey. As part of the project, a visual artist worked collaboratively with staff and the data generated to create a visual representation of service users journeys. These outputs will be used to support staff in practice, and to share the benefits of the project to a wider audience.