Research and development are frequently paired - known together as 'R&D'.
Likewise research and evaluation - as two forms of enquiry, with differing focus.
Curiously perhaps 'development and evaluation' as a pairing is less common - al though there is a whole school of 'formative evaluation', which sees evaluation as a continuous and cyclical process intimately bound up with development.
In reality, all three need to be seamlessly interwoven. On these pages, on this site, we will be exploring the question of evaluation; and providing some of the tools for research, development AND evaluation of PIEs.
Using the tools
In part, therefore, these are 'just ideas' - the theory and practice of 'R&D+E', with complex needs services. We will find here some challenge to overly simplistic approaches to both evaluation and research.
But we also introduce here the process and tools that we here have recently developed, specifically for PIEs 'R&D+E' - the Pizazz, and the PIE Abacus.
For those that would like to get more involved in this area - not just researchers, but also those championing or leading on the development and 'roll out' of PIEs in particular services (those that we tend to call 'PIE leads') - we now run a bi-weekly forums programme. These forums are open to all and any, to discuss issues in developing practice : HERE.
New for 2022, we are also experimenting with Special Interest Groups, for more -on-going engagement, aiming to co-produce the next generation of ideas and guidance. We start with three areas: PIEs and Housing First: Roll out and embedding (for PIE leads); and one SIG specifically on research : HERE.
NB: we are also creating a parallel or companion site, the 'PIElink community', for those that want to be more pro-actively engaged. You can explore the early drafts of this - already published, HERE.
