St Mungo's have published a fascinating and highly valuable briefing summarising the findings and recommendations of the first
Outcomes Star research. The research compared service users who had completed at least two Stars, contrasting their first and most recent Star readings. The findings and recommendations in the briefing demonstrate the insights gained by analysing Star data across a service.
The research, which was carried by Triangle Consulting with funding from the London Housing Foundation, includes quantitative soft outcomes data gathered from
Outcomes Stars completed with 122 service users in four
St Mungo's hostels, plus qualitative research into a sample of 18 service users, and interviews with hostel managers and workers.
The original Outcomes Star was initially developed for
St Mungo's by
Triangle Consulting, as a tool for key workers to use so that they could report on the effects their work was having on the lives of the people they support, along with the expected end outcomes.
The key findings of the research are summarised in the briefing as follows:
- Outcomes star data has the potential to function as an effective management tool, and can enable homeless agencies to monitor and share achievements and identify obstacles to success
- Nearly three quarters of clients benefited from time in hostels over the period of the study
- There is considerable variation between hostels – with clear key indicators of success
- Positive outcomes peak at 6 -12 months, longer stays can be associated with a decline in progress and an increase in mental health problems. Clients with multiple needs were most likely to slip backwards substantially
- The research showed greatest change in clients’ ability to manage their accommodation and in substance misuse – with drugs misuse being the most common presenting need, and clients on a script most likely to make progress. Around 80% of those with a drug problem were on a methadone script
- The clients who are most likely to do well in St Mungo’s hostels are British men under 45 – the majority group. However, benefit was seen in all client groups
- Those clients engaging in activities, outings and life skills are most likely to make progress.
The briefing also includes:
- An outline of the features of those hostels that are doing particularly well
- Recommendations for improving services for homeless people
- Findings broken down by client profile, e.g ethnicity, sex and age
- Actions planned to make more of the Star.
As a result of the valuable learning provided from this analysis of Star data, St Mungos will be working with Thames Reach, Broadway and Triangle Consulting (with support from the London Housing Foundation) to develop a toolkit for interrogating Outcomes Star data systematically, among a range of other planned actions outlined in the briefing.
Download St Mungo's research findings briefing (PDF) from the publications section of their site
21 November 2007