Gaining insights and taking action

Youcansay aims to assist professionals to gain insight about the services they provide and hopes that they will be used to carry through actions for improvement where necessary. Having done this kind of work for a long time has given us ample opportunity to observe what works well. 

We think that communicating with everyone who may be affected by a survey, assessment or consultation, is important in several ways. People need to know about what you are trying to achieve and why you are doing it, and what you will do with the results. And of course it is not just about telling, but about hearing as well. Listening to what people think will help you because there will be some good ideas and also because when people are involved it builds commitment. It will help in each part of the process, from the way you put together the questionnaire and use it, to the way the results are presented and acted on. We believe a thoughtfully designed and executed process, with objectives that are understood and accepted, will result in more useful information and outcomes.

For example a school wanting to learn more about pupils’ wellbeing will consider explaining what they are doing, why, and what happens to the results. They will communicate with staff, children, parents, governors, and neighbouring schools and communities. They may talk to some of these groups while forming ideas and again when plans are firm. They will provide teachers and class assistants with guidance about engaging with children about the process, and how the data collection works, and how to get support if they need it. They will share results widely and ask for comments. They will engage key groups in identifying and prioritising actions, and deciding how to evaluate them.

A process which involves more people is more likely to provide more insights because people are more engaged and committed. Insights can arise when information gathered in questionnaires is combined or contrasted with other sources, including day to day contact and interaction. 360° assessments involving perhaps teachers and social workers as well as self assessment is often beneficial, as would be a survey about pupil wellbeing that includes teachers and parents as well as pupils.

Youcansay aims to help with support throughout the process, from questionnaire choice and development, through data gathering, analysis and reporting. 

• Build questionnaires collaboratively
  • From scratch
  • After reviewing existing questionnaires
  • Use standard/established questionnaires
• Applying profile questions when it is necessary to have unique options for each agency
• Design reports (all questionnaires come with at least one report, but others can be added according to you needs)
• Support throughout the process
  • Guidance for facilitators
  • Monitoring progress and achieving quotas
  • Using reports and considering further analysis
• Support to consider further developments

We help you to create questionnaires so that it is easy for people to understand and use them. Help to ensure that the data collected provides you with the information you require and can be analysed reliably. Review the questionnaire and reports with you to ensure they meet your needs.

The analysis performed on the data and the presentation of the results need to be in formats that help people understand the issues and develop insights. Professionals need to work with the information in reports to help them decide what could be different and what are the appropriate actions to take. Gaining insights benefits from considering the results from different angles. Sharing results with colleagues and communities will help in seeing the findings from different perspectives. It is effective to share results widely and to listen to people’s opinions about what is important and what is realistic, and to understand their reasoning. Being inclusive is also likely to help gain support for bringing about beneficial change.

Understanding can also be improved by repeating the process to understand the effect of actions taken and to identify trends

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