Accounting for change in family centres: Making sense of outcomes in Clayhill Family Centre in Southern England

Abstract

This paper reports on a small exploratory case study of family centre practice examining in particular the nature of proximal or process outcomes claimed by a mother and two practitioners following two productive years during which a mother and family have been in contact with the centre. This study looks to understand proximal processes from an outcome perspective through case study and particularly by examining the narrative accounts of practitioners and mother. The national and local contexts are explained along with the centre’s programmes and aims. The author acknowledges the components of a theory of change as a basis for the search for outcomes as “sensitive outcomes” or “steps-on-the-way”. Thereafter the paper reflects on the methodological challenges involved and considers issues a research team or collective might take into account in exploring the domain of sensitive or process outcomes in centre-based practice.