Education, Children and Families

Purpose + Mission 

Our research  provides clients with the tools, knowledge, and solutions they need to generate positive outcomes for the families and communities they serve.

Using our wealth of experience and knowledge, we strive to make meaningful contributions to our research field, sharing learning, driving forward innovation and providing the highest quality solutions for our clients. 

Our team of social researchers and evaluation consultants have expert knowledge in the social issues affecting education, children, and families. We have a strong understanding of:  

• The policies and practices that support effective education in schools and colleges
• The evolving challenges faced by children and young people 
• The pioneering interventions that help families lead healthy and fulfilled lives 

Approach 

We use a variety of innovative methods and learnings to carry out our research and deliver impactful results for our clients. Our specialisms include:

• Designing and delivering end-to-end research and evaluation projects using a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies
• Combining learning from long-established best practice and innovative new models of care to support clients in delivering the highest-quality programmes and interventions targeted at children, young people, and families across a wide range of settings
• Using our technical expertise in a wide range of research and evaluation methods, including RCTs, QEDs, theory-based process and impact evaluations, feasibility studies, and implementation and process evaluations (IPEs)

When applying these methods to our work with children, young people, and vulnerable people, we integrate rigorous ethical procedures and pride ourselves on using the most appropriate and child-friendly methods. These include creative and participatory approaches, ensuring that children are meaningfully involved at all stages of the research and evaluation process, where appropriate. 

Integrated solutions 

We frequently partner with other Ipsos teams in Public Affairs and beyond, to ensure that we are bringing the brightest minds and the most relevant expertise to every project. We believe that working closely with other teams enriches the quality of our work and also allows us to disseminate our knowledge of best practice in research and evaluation with children and families.  

• Ipsos’s Young People Omnibus, an annual study devoted to exploring the views, experiences and aspirations of a large and representative sample of young people attending secondary schools in England, Wales and Scotland.

Senior leadership team 

Dr. Jessica Ozan, Head of Education, Ipsos  Jessica has over 15 years’ experience leading and delivering evaluation and research projects focusing on children and families for governments and third sector organisations in the UK and internationally. Jessica is a member of the UK Evaluation Society (where she leads its Ethics Group) and an advocate for child-centric approaches, having established Child Advisory Groups in several international research projects.	Facundo Herrera, Associate Director, Ipsos  Facundo is a senior economist with 10+ years of experience applying econometrics to the evaluation of public policy for the UK Government and the European Commission/agencies in the field of education, skills, health, and consumer policy. Facundo leads mixed-methods studies that triangulate qualitative evidence with quantitative estimates from experimental/quasi-experimental methods.
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Client case-studies 

• The impact of gambling advertising on children, young people and vulnerable adults, on behalf of GambleAware. This study used a range of innovative methods including media monitoring, creating online avatars and a qualitative diary app.
• The omnibus survey of pupil and their parents/carers, Wave 5 on behalf of the Department for Education. A nationally representative sample of young people at secondary schools and colleges in England were surveyed using a postal push-to-web approach.
• National evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme, 2015-2020 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government. This large-scale study used an innovative mixed-method approach, including qualitative case studies, a digital diary app, online forums, a longitudinal face-to-face survey of families, and an annual online survey of staff.