Early Adopter Communities: process evaluation

Appendix D: Information sheets

Example information sheet for families

Information leaflet

Research about childcare services in Port Glasgow

The Scottish Government is funding some childcare services in different parts of Scotland. They want to better understand what kinds of childcare services work well for families.

To do this, the Scottish Government has asked Ipsos Scotland to speak to families about their experience of childcare. Ipsos is a research organisation. Ipsos want to understand what is working well and what could be improved.

Why have I been invited to take part?

You've been invited to take part in the research because your child attends [the Port Glasgow childcare project]. This project receives Scottish Government funding. Ipsos want to hear your views on how the project is currently working for you.

What does the research involve?

• Taking part involves an in-person conversationwith a researcher from Ipsos. It will last up to an hour. This would take place in March 2024. The researcher can meet you at [the Port Glasgow childcare project] or at your home.
• The researcher will ask you about how [the Port Glasgow childcare project] has been working for you. For example, this may include how easy it was to apply for a place or how easy it is for your child to attend.
• The interview will be relaxed and informaland you don't need to prepare for it. There are no right or wrong answers, we just want to understand your views.
• Your family will receive £35as a thank you for taking part. This can be via a bank transfer or voucher for Amazon or Love2Shop. Please note that receiving a bank transfer may sometimes impact on any benefit payments or tax positions. Receiving a voucher will not impact on any benefit payments or tax positions.

Can my child share their views too?

We mainly want to hear from parent/carers, but we would love to hear what your child thinks about [the Port Glasgow childcare project] too. If they are happy to speak to us, we will invite them to join the beginning of the conversation. You will also need to confirm that you are happy for them to take part.

The researcher would speak to you and your child together for the first 10-15 minutes and then the rest of the questions would be only for you.

How will my information be used?

If you agree, Ipsos would like to audio-record the conversation. The recording will be securely stored and only shared with a transcriber.

Everything you share will be treated completely confidentially. No information that might give away who you are will be shared outside of the research team at Ipsos. The only exception to this is if the researcher believes that you or somebody you know is at risk of serious harm.

Ipsos will write a report of the findings for the Scottish Government.The report will be published and may include quotes from your interview. However, we will not name or identify anyone. If you do not want us to quote what you say, let us know.

Do I have to take part?

No. It is entirely your choice whether or not you take part. You can also change your mind at any time without giving us a reason. You can choose not to answer individual questions and/or stop the discussion completely.

What are my rights?

Ipsos follows General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulation. GDPR is designed to give you more control over your personal data. For example, you have the right to know how your personal data is used or to have it deleted. All your personal data will be securely destroyed after the research is finished.

Please read our privacy notice for this project. This tells you more about how Ipsos securely handles your personal data.

How can I take part?

If you have any questions or would like to take part,
please get in touch with [redacted] at Ipsos:

Email [redacted]

Call or message [redacted]

Please let [redacted] know if there is anything that would make it difficult for you to take part. She will discuss your needs with you and try to make it as easy as possible for you to take part.

Next steps:

• [redacted] will talk to you on the phone about the research and answer any questions.
• She will ask you some questions about your family to make sure Ipsos are speaking to enough different kinds of people.
• If everything is fine to go ahead, [redacted] will find the best time to have a conversation with you about [the Port Glasgow childcare project].

Sources of support

Citizens Advice Scotland

Citizens Advice Scotland provide free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to people in Scotland.

Visit their website at https://www.cas.org.uk/ for information or to find your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau.

Children 1st Parentline

Children 1st is Scotland's National Children's Charity. They run a free parentline for advice and support on 08000 28 22 33.

Their website can be found at https://www.children1st.org.uk/help-for-families/parentline-scotland/

SAMH

SAMH (the Scottish Association for Mental Health) is Scotland's national mental health charity.

Their website can be found at https://www.samh.org.uk/ or you can call them on 0344 800 0550.

Advice Direct Scotland

Advice Direct Scotland provide financial advice to people who need it.

They offer a free benefit calculator and information on how to manage debt on their website at https://advice.scot/ You can also call them on 0808 196 2316.

Information sheet for project leads

Information leaflet for EAC staff

As you know, Ipsos Scotland (an independent research organisation) has been commissioned to carry out evaluation activities relating to the Early Adopting Communities (EACs).

How can I help?

You have already helped out by taking part in the scoping and data interviews, as well as the local Theory of Change workshop. Your help has been greatly appreciated.

We are now conducting the process evaluation of the EACs. This means that we will be asking staff, stakeholders and families about how the projects are currently working. We will focus on the activities in the standard local theory of change (relevant to all EAC areas). Note that we will not be asking about the impact services are having for families.

We would be grateful if you would consider sharing your views as part of this evaluation.

What does the research involve?

Taking part involves a one-to-one interview with a researcher from Ipsos. It will take around an hour and would take place during March 2024. Interviews will ideally take place in-person when we visit your EAC. However, we have back up options of video call or phone should this not be possible.

The interview will be relaxed and informal and you don't need to prepare anything to take part.

The interview will focus on what has worked well and less well in terms of the implementation of the EAC so far, including:

• Engagement and referral of families
• Delivery of the provision
• Partnership working

There are no right or wrong answers, we're just keen to hear about your experiences.

How will my information be used?

We will use the interviews to inform the findings of the evaluation. They will be used alongside the findings from interviews with project stakeholders, interviews with families and the analysis of monitoring data, to write a report that will be published by the Scottish Government.

In the main, quotes included in the report will be anonymised. However, where areas have unique experiences, it may be helpful to identify areas and attribute quotes accordingly. Therefore, it is possible that some parts of the report may identify something you've said.There is also a chance that some parts of the report may be identifying (even if it you are not quoted directly) due to the small number of people in relevant roles.

After the interview, we will check if there is anything that you would not like to be quoted in the report. We will also share with you any elements of the draft report we feel may be identifying, before sharing it with the Scottish Government. We can remove identifying information/quotes upon request. However, it will not be possible to change the overall findings of the report.

Do I have to take part?

No. It is entirely your choice whether or not you take part. You can change your mind or take a break at any time without giving us a reason. You can also choose not to answer individual questions and/or leave the discussion completely.

What are my rights?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a set of rules and regulations designed to protect the privacy and personal data of individuals. We have a legal duty to inform you about why we are collecting information from you for the research.

We provide this information in our Privacy Noticewhich should be read alongside this information sheet. It outlines what information we will collect and why, and your rights.

You can ask questions at any point in this process if anything is unclear. You can change your mind about taking part (even after the interview has finished) up until the report is published.

How can I take part?

Ipsos will be in touch to arrange a convenient time to arrange the interview. Please let [redacted] at Ipsos know if you have any questions or if there is anything that would make it difficult for you to take part in the research. She will discuss your needs and try to make it as easy as possible for you to participate.

Email [redacted]

Call or message [redacted]

Information sheet for stakeholders

Childcare research

Information leaflet

The Scottish Government is funding some childcare services in different parts of Scotland, to help them better understand how to design childcare services that work well for families. These areas are known as 'Early Adopting Communities' (EACs).

The Scottish Government wants to understand how the EACs are working. They have commissioned Ipsos Scotland, an independent research organisation, to do some research. As part of this, we (Ipsos) are speaking to people involved in delivering or supporting the EACs.

How can I help?

You have been invited to take part because you are involved in delivering childcare in an EAC or have been supporting them in another way (for example, helping with referrals).

You may already have helped out at the end of last year by taking part in an EAC Theory of Change workshop. If so, thank you for your input to this.

We are now conducting an early evaluation of the EACs. This means that we will be asking staff, partners (such as yourself) and families about how projects are currently working. Note that we will not be asking about the impact services are having for families.

We would be grateful if you would consider sharing your views as part of this evaluation.

What does the research involve?

Taking part involves a one-to-one interview with a researcher from Ipsos. It will take no more than an hour and would take place during March 2024. Interviews will ideally take place in-person when we visit your community. However, we have back up options of video call or phone if this is not possible.

The interview will be relaxed and informal. You don't need to prepare anything to take part.

The researcher will ask you about what is working well or less well in your experience of working with an EAC. This might include questions on:

• Engagement and referral of families
• Delivery of the provision
• Partnership working

There are no right or wrong answers, we're just keen to hear about your experiences.

How will my information be used?

We will use the interviews to inform the findings of the evaluation. They will be used alongside the findings from interviews with EAC staff, interviews with families and the analysis of monitoring data, to write a report that will be published by the Scottish Government.

In the main, quotes included in the report will be anonymised. However, where areas have unique experiences, it may be helpful to identify areas and attribute quotes accordingly. Therefore, it is possible that some parts of the report may identify something you've said.There is also a chance that some parts of the report may be identifying (even if it you are not quoted directly) due to the small number of people in relevant roles.

After the interview, we will check if there is anything that you would not like to be quoted in the report. We will also share with you any elements of the draft report we feel may be identifying, before sharing it with the Scottish Government. We can remove identifying information/quotes upon request. However, it will not be possible to change the overall findings of the report.

Do I have to take part?

No. It is entirely your choice whether or not you take part. You can change your mind or take a break at any time without giving us a reason. You can also choose not to answer individual questions and/or leave the discussion completely.

What are my rights?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a set of rules and regulations designed to protect the privacy and personal data of individuals. We have a legal duty to inform you about why we are collecting information from you for the research.

We provide this information in our Privacy Noticewhich should be read alongside this information sheet. It outlines what information we will collect and why, and your rights.

You can ask questions at any point in this process if anything is unclear. You can change your mind about taking part (even after the interview has finished) up until the report is published.

How can I take part?

If you have any questions or would like to take part, please get in touch with Ipsos using the contact details below.

Please let [redacted] know if there is anything that would make it difficult for you to take part in the research. She will discuss your needs with you and try to make it as easy as possible for you to take part.

Email [redacted]

Call or message [redacted]