Research Projects
Research and Policy Reviews on Lesbian Well-Being | Client: The Lesbian Project
Research about lesbian well-being is currently limited. I co-authored a series of research and policy reviews on lesbian well-being that assess the state of the evidence base and synthesise knowledge in several areas: demography, public life, family and relationships, workplace, safety and health. The six evidence reviews and research overview are available on The Lesbian Project’s website.
Flying Flags and Ticking Boxes – What Went Wrong with EDI and How Leaders Can Fix It | Client: Diversity by Design
In collaboration with Simon Fanshawe OBE, who co-founded Stonewall and now runs Diversity by Design, I interviewed 45 chief executives, EDI leads and other key people across the public and private sectors to investigate what works and what doesn’t when it comes to equality, diversity and inclusion, and where leaders go from here. Recommendations were tested through a series of workshops with interviewees, and the resulting report on the state of EDI was published in October 2024.
Social Value in Further Education and Skills | Client: Education & Training Foundation
This research examines how organisations in the further education and skills sector help to build social value for their learners, staff and wider communities. It comprises a literature review, a sector call for evidence and analysis of the Education & Training Foundation’s contribution as it aligns with its Theory of Change. The resulting report will be published early in 2025.
Organisational Theory of Change | Client: Education & Training Foundation
The Education and Training Foundation commissioned me to develop an organisational Theory of Change to guide its strategy and activities, and to inform the development of a monitoring, evaluation and learning framework. The work was based on a review of reports, charitable objects, interviews and workshops. Short-form and long-form Theory of Change diagrams, with an accompanying narrative document, were completed in May 2024.
Women’s Services – A Sector Silenced | Client: Sex Matters
The impact of ongoing tensions over sex and gender identity on key sectors, and the individuals who work in them and use their services, is largely unknown: there have been significant repercussions for many people who publicly counter prevailing narratives. This report looked at the impact of gender-identity beliefs on women’s sector leaders, their organisations’ sustainability and their ability to offer single-sex services and spaces to survivors of rape and domestic violence, as well as female prisoners. I conducted expert interviews and anonymised interviews with sector leaders. The research was launched in the House of Commons in January 2024, and its findings are being used as part of campaigns to make the Equality Act clear when it comes to the meaning of sex.
Policy-led Versus Place-Based Approaches to Skills Development – Which Works Best? | Client: Palladium/Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office
While the economic and social case for investing in skills development is well known, there has been little previous work done to work out the impact of different approaches. This research was conducted in collaboration with Mike Dawe. We assessed skills projects funded by the FCDO, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, along with their linked evaluations, to isolate design features and to assess types of approaches work best when it comes to social and economic development. We developed theories of change for the different models, highlighted the approaches that have been most successful, and made recommendations for future funding and development planning. It was published in 2023.
Charity Management Matters – Research into Management and Leadership Training in the Voluntary Sector | Client: Cranfield Trust
This research used a combination of market mapping, a sector survey, interviews and a workshop to identify what voluntary-sector leaders and management need when it comes to training; what is already available; where the gaps are and how Cranfield Trust might best target its support. A series of in-depth recommendations were developed for Cranfield Trust to develop and refine its offer, with accompanying ideas for voluntary-sector organisations wanting to upskill their managers and leaders. The linked report was launched by the Princess Royal in London in November 2023.
Running to Stand Still – Why Decades of Skills Reform Have Failed to Shift the Dial on UK Productivity and Investment in Training | Client: Federation of Awarding Bodies
What should the UK’s key priorities be when it comes to skills policy reform? This research project, delivered in collaboration with Professor Tom Bewick, answered this question through an in-depth policy review, and analysis of gaps between stated policy intentions and the reality of policy making. I also interviewed 25 skills experts, including former Ministers, authors of government-commissioned reviews, FE college principals, awarding organisation chief executives and think tank specialists. The research was launched in September 2023 at the Royal Society of Arts.
Teenagers and Gender Identity – Parts 1, 2 and 3 | Client: Sex Matters
The first two parts of this project assessed the current evidence base when it comes to teenagers and gender identity, looking at what might lead teenagers to question their gender; treatment pathways; and outcomes, including mental and physical health. The final paper summarised a series of expert interviews with psychotherapists, child development experts and parent support groups to give advice to parents.
Part 1: Why Teenagers Might Question Their Gender
Part 2: Treatment and Outcomes
Part 3: Advice for Parents
Technical Paper – Modelling the Placebo Effect | Client: Sex Matters
I pooled data from randomised controlled trials testing medication aimed at improving adolescent mental health in order to isolate the placebo effect from the control arms; and then compared this with outcomes data on mental health from longitudinal studies tracking teenagers on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
Other freelance projects include the development of a policy brief on participatory policy making for the Young Foundation and development of an evidence log for the National institute of Teaching.
Prior to September 2022, my research and policy work was conducted through The Research Base. We worked on education, skills, international development and social impact research for a wide variety of clients. These included the British Council, the Careers & Enterprise Company, City & Guilds, Education Development Trust, Education Endowment Foundation, EIT Climate-KIC, Health Education England, the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration, Islamic Relief, JISC, Kiva, the MasterCard Foundation, Natural England, NCFE, NHS England, PEAS Africa, Pearson, Plan International, Research Libraries UK, RNLI, Save the Children, Teach First, The Royal Society, University of Cambridge, University of Exeter, University of Leeds, University of Nottingham, University of York, Workforce Development Trust, VTVC and Youth Sport Trust.