Evaluation of the Gambling Support Service (England and Wales)
KantarPublic
Overview
The aims of the evaluation are to report on the effectiveness and early outcomes of Gambling Support Service (England and Wales); and to identify lessons learned and recommendations for service delivery improvement in the remainder of the England and Wales programme and for the new programme in Scotland.
Gambling Support Service (England and Wales) is run and managed by Citizens Advice (England and Wales). The programme aims to raise awareness of gambling harms and provide advice to the public about the risks of gambling and what support is available. It provides education and training for frontline service providers, and delivers support for individuals experiencing gambling harms, referring them to specialist services where appropriate.
Following a successful pilot in Newport, a new programme was commissioned to run between October 2018 and December 2020. The service runs across 12 regions within the Citizens Advice network in England and Wales. A similar programme has been commissioned with Citizens Advice Scotland, commencing in April 2020.
The Evaluation
The aims of the evaluation are to report on the effectiveness and early outcomes of Gambling Support Service (England and Wales); and to identify lessons learned and recommendations for service delivery improvement in the remainder of the England and Wales programme and for the new programme in Scotland.
The process evaluation will explore and report on the management processes used to create and deliver the programme across the 12 regions. The impact evaluation will investigate and report on the early achieved outcomes of the service, both at a preliminary stage and then on the close of the programme.
Methods
Qualitative and quantitative research methods will be used to create primary data for the evaluation, including depth interviews, case studies, impact reflection workshops and an online survey. Secondary data analysis of management information and survey findings will also be conducted.