C.A.N Research Project in Youth Estate on Covid 19 - (Capture, Assess and Navigate)

The Business requires the Supplier to undertake a coherent and effective programme of research and evaluation that best enables learning from the experience of dealing with the threat of Covid-19 in the youth secure estate, in order to "build back better".

The research activity would need to be coordinated in order to ensure that it met the big asks of informing:

(a) ongoing response/recovery, (b) what the new normal would look like, in a way that is compatible with the YCS vision, and (c) preparations for any future crises.

In order to do that, the research needs to capture and utilise:

(a) effects of the crisis on children and young people, staff, organisation, regime, relationships etc; (b) responses to the crisis, including innovations; and (c) effects of those responses. And it needs to be done in a way that is conscious of changes over time.

The person who undertakes this research needs to be independent so that they can provide:

A) coordination of the research activity to ensure that the programme is able to answer the big questions/asks; B) independent constructive assessment of how well YCS has responded to C19, using that research activity; C) assurance of integration of the learning into wider YCS reform; D) informed (but one-step removed) perspective for recovery thinking and future narrative.