New Project with Big Change: Evaluate and improve operational processes

Big Change Project

Big Change Operational Audit 

Project:

Big Change would like an external expert to evaluate current high-level operational processes and then, if appropriate, make recommendations for improvement. 

Project description:

It is anticipated that the volunteer will:

1. Spend half a day with Noah Bernstein, the Director of Impact & Operations to investigate the current operations and obtain any relevant documentation

2.  Spend half a day at Big Change, having 4 45-minute meetings with individual staff members to investigate their activities, time spent on each, and any suggestions they have for improvements. 

3.  Use the results of the meetings and the documentation to summarise current activities, processes and value added by each. Draft some suggestions for improvements.

4.  Run a half-day facilitation session with all staff to discuss findings and possible improvements (if appropriate)

5.  Produce a written report with findings of current operations and recommendations for improvements.  

Some background in process improvement and facilitation would be useful. This project would suit either a single volunteer or a team of two.

Time commitment: 5 days over 3-4 months

Location: The volunteer(s) would need to spend 3 half-days on site at Big Change (London, W2 6NB). The rest of the work could be carried out remotely.

If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to amy.hughes@theorsociety.com by 27^th February 2020.

The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities. As such, we welcome applications from the partially sighted or blind, or those with disabilities.

Information about the organisation: 

Big Change are an organisation which aim to promote a new common purpose for learning that prepares young people for life, work and citizenship. They aim to engage all sections of society to support learning at school, in the home and in the community. Big Change projects are working at the grassroots in local communities and also influencing the national agenda and narratives around what young people need to thrive.

For further information about Big Change please visit https://www.big-change.org/ or email noe@big-change.org

For further information about the Pro Bono OR scheme, please visit: www.theorsociety.com/Probono  or email ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com

Project 2 with the NSPCC: Develop a graded care tool to assess child neglect

NSPCC Project 2

Development of a Graded Care Profile Tool for assessing neglect

Project:

NSPCC wants to develop a tool for Local Authorities in Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland to identify the economic benefits of assessing the quality of care a child is receiving.

Project description:

Graded Care Profile 2 (GCP2) is an assessment tool which helps practitioners in English Local Authorities (LAs) to measure the quality of care a child is receiving. NSPCC has evaluated the tool and found it to be effective in helping identify whether a child is at risk of neglect. The tool shows LAs the potential cost avoidance opportunities from implementing GCP2 assessments. It draws on available data sets and is an Excel model. 

This project is to develop a similar tool for LAs in the rest of the UK who have slightly different performance indicators and datasets. 

Key skills required: economic/cost modelling using Excel

The project would be suitable for a team (either an existing team or individual volunteers who are happy to collaborate).

Proposed project stages: 

1. Briefing/familiarisation with current model (for LAs in England) and requirements for Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland - meeting & online call with Development Manager in Liverpool

2. Desk Research – available data and model options (e.g. to what extent does each country need a different model)

3. Model Building – develop Excel Models (up to 3)

4. User Testing & QA – e.g. pilot the model with some LAs

5. Handover model & documentation

Time commitment: Potential time required – 10-15 days over 3-4 months

N.B. The time required could be less per volunteer if the project is broken down into separate model-building for the 3 countries or if a team of volunteers works on this.

Location: Most of this project can be carried out remotely.

If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to amy.hughes@theorsociety.com by 18^th February 2020.

The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities. As such, we welcome applications from the partially sighted or blind, or those with disabilities.

Information about the organisation: 

The NSPCC are the leading children's charity in the UK, specialising in child protection and dedicated to the fight for every childhood. They are the only UK children's charity with statutory powers meaning they can take action to safeguard children at risk of abuse. 1 in 5 children in the UK have suffered abuse or neglect. That’s why, across the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, the NSPCC are working to protect children today and prevent abuse from happening tomorrow

For further information about the NSPCC, please visit https://www.nspcc.org.uk/ or email Caroline.Westley@nspcc.org.uk

For further information about the Pro Bono OR scheme, please visit: www.theorsociety.com/Probono  or email ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com

Project 1 with NSPCC: Modelling the cost of vulnerable children going into care

NSPCC Project 1

Development of a modeling tool for the costs of children going into care

Project:

NSPCC wants to develop a tool to show Local Authorities the costs of children going into care to help them improve their processes.

Project description:

The Children’s Services directorate within the NSPCC focuses on working with children from an early age. As part of this they need to understand the cost of children going into care from birth, to begin to understand the quantitative impact that the NSPCC services can have for a locality.

The NSPCC previously undertook some work looking at the costs of going into care which informed part of the Reunification framework, a service that is being scaled-up and training provided to external organisations to use to improve their processes within their local authority. 

This project is to build on this work and to create a tool to inform costs of diverting away from edge of care to show local authorities the potential costs they incur in this area, and to then be able to provide them with services and knowledge to improve these process to have positive impacts on the children and families they are working with.

Key skills required: economic/cost modelling using Excel

The project would be suitable for a team (either an existing team or individual volunteers who are happy to collaborate)

Proposed project stages: 

1. Briefing/familiarisation with previous work, available data and requirements - meeting with Development Mgr)

2. Desk Research – available data and model scoping/definition

3. Model Building – develop Excel Models

4. User Testing & QA – e.g. pilot the model with some LAs

5. Handover model & documentation

Time commitment: Potential time required – 5-8 days over 3-4 months

N.B. The time required could be less per volunteer if a team of volunteers works on this.

Location: Most of this project can be carried out remotely.

If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to amy.hughes@theorsociety.com by 18^th February 2020.

The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities. As such, we welcome applications from the partially sighted or blind, or those with disabilities.

Information about the organisation: 

The NSPCC are the leading children's charity in the UK, specialising in child protection and dedicated to the fight for every childhood. They are the only UK children's charity with statutory powers meaning they can take action to safeguard children at risk of abuse. 1 in 5 children in the UK have suffered abuse or neglect. That’s why, across the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, the NSPCC are working to protect children today and prevent abuse from happening tomorrow

For further information about the NSPCC, please visit https://www.nspcc.org.uk/ or email Caroline.Westley@nspcc.org.uk

For further information about the Pro Bono OR scheme, please visit: www.theorsociety.com/Probono  or email ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com

New Pro Bono Project: The Old Market

The Old Market Project

Brighton’s Best Kept Secret: The Economic Impact of The Old Market

Project:

Evaluate the economic impact of The Old Market  (TOM) independent arts venue.

Project description:

TOM needs to be able to demonstrate its economic impact in order to:

• Establish the economic impact of TOM on the local area and city of Brighton & Hove.

• Provide data which can be used to attract investment from private individuals, charitable trusts and foundations or businesses. 

• Tell better stories in fundraising and communication about the impact TOM.

• Uncover information which will help staff and trustees develop the business plan. 

• Understand TOM’s impact on culture and tourism.

A similar study has been carried out for Glyndebourne Opera House 

(see https://www.glyndebourne.com/about-us/reports/economic-impact-report/)

It is anticipated that the volunteer will:

1. Have an initial phone call with Lucy Stone, the Development Manager, to gain background information and plan a day at TOM.

2. Spend a day at TOM, meeting with the Programme Manager and representatives from Marketing, Finance, Programmes, Box Office and Bar in order to discover what relevant data is available. It may also be possible to attend a theatre performance. Lucy Stone will be able to schedule the meetings to keep them to one day.

 

3. Obtain and analyse the available data in order to obtain estimates of: audience spend at TOM, wage expenditure paid to local employees, TOM expenditure with local suppliers, spend by visiting artists, spend on accommodation by visiting artists.

4. Design and carry out an online survey of theatre audiences to investigate their demographics and spend in the area.

5. Summarise the findings in an economic impact report.  

Requirements: 

The volunteer(s) should have some background in economics. An ideal team to carry out this project would include both an OR analyst and an economist.

Time commitment:  6-8 days over 3-4 months

This project would best suit a team of two or more.

Location: The volunteer would need to spend a day at TOM meeting with all relevant staff and obtaining necessary data. The rest of the project could be carried out remotely. 

If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to amy.hughes@theorsociety.com by 6^th December 2019.

The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities. As such, we welcome applications from the partially sighted or blind, or those with disabilities.

Information about the organisation: 

The Old Market (TOM) was opened in 2011 by creators of the global percussive phenomenon STOMP to create an independent hub for the arts in their home city and channel some of their success back in to the local arts ecosystem. The festival-like programme at TOM is the cornerstone of their identity. They have over 55,000 people coming through their doors each year to experience the arts and are proud to work with local artists, major cultural festivals, independent promoters and esteemed national arts organisations. The introduction of their Gig for a Gig scheme, they are also proud to support the best emerging talent and nurture their growth so that the arts can thrive for years to come..

For further information about The Old Market, please visit https://www.theoldmarket.com/about-us 

For further information about the Pro Bono OR scheme, please visit:www.theorsociety.com/Probono  or email ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com

Build Your Impact with Pro Bono Operational Research: Free half-day workshop for charities

Operational research is the science of better decision-making. Pro Bono OR was created to allow UK-based organisations in the third sector to benefit from OR consultancy at no cost. During our last eight years of operation we have helped over 100 charities, from tiny volunteer-only to household names.

Do you have some organisational issues you would just like to get some advice on? Interested in finding out more about  how our free consultancy scheme or Operational Research can help you? Then this workshop is for you. 

WHAT TO EXPECT

9.45                Doors open

9.45-10.15      Registration, coffee available

10:15-10.45    Introduction and welcome:

10.45-11.30    Some examples of Pro Bono OR case studies

• Ian Seath (RSPCA)
• Shamim Rahman (Action West London)
• Jane Parkin (Crimestoppers)

11.30-12.40   Comfort break, and round table discussions of how OR can help address your problems

12.45-12.50   Closing words

12.50-13.30   Lunch and networking

13.30             Close

Book Your Free Place

The event is free to attend but space is limited, so places must be booked in advance with a maximum of two places per organisation.

New Project with Mencap: locating data that can help change the world for people with a learning disability

Mencap Project

The data landscape: locating data that can help Mencap change the world for people with a learning disability

Project:

Identify and evaluate open data sources that could help Mencap in targeting and operating services. 

Project description:

Mencap has a great number of analytical questions – such as “What are the chances we will be able to recruit staff for a new service” and “Which local authorities are fulfilling their obligations with respect to people with learning disabilities” - that could be better answered if Mencap could find suitable data on social, demographic and other factors.

The volunteer is asked to work with the Insight and Analytics Lead and Research Manager to identify what are the most burning questions, and what sort of data might be useful; search for open sources of this data; and assess the extent and quality of each source (for example the age of the data, how frequently it is renewed, its geographic extent, whether it is available specifically for learning disability, its reliability, its accessibility) to provide a directory of resources for the Data and Research teams. 

No specific skills are required other than general OR skills; but people who already have some knowledge of open sources of social and demographic data are particularly invited to apply.

Time commitment: Initially 3-5 days (spread out as needed): half a day to establish and firm up on requirements; 2-3 days of desk research; and half a day to document and present the findings.

Location: The project can be undertaken entirely off-site, though for the initial discussion and reporting, the volunteer would be welcome to meet the customer at their offices in Golden Lane, London.

If you feel you are able to offer your assistance please complete the application form and return along with your CV to amy.hughes@theorsociety.com by 30^th October 2019.

The OR Society fully supports equal opportunities. As such, we welcome applications from the partially sighted or blind, or those with disabilities.

Information about the organisation: 

Mencap is the leading voice of learning disability. Everything we do is about valuing and supporting people with a learning disability, and their families and carers.The services Mencap provide range from round-the-clock care to helping someone join in with local leisure activities, providing advice and information on things like employment and education, helping someone to live independently for the first time, and even things like reporting a crime to the police.

For further information about Mencap, please visit https://www.mencap.org.uk/ or email Owen.Bowden@mencap.org.uk

For further information about the Pro Bono OR scheme, please visit:www.theorsociety.com/Probono  or email ProBonoOR@theorsociety.com