Internship with the Open Innovation Team
I completed a three-month internship at the Open Innovation Team (OIT) within the Department for Education. OIT is the government’s in-house research consultancy. It works with experts to generate analysis and ideas for policy, helping policymakers review evidence, engage experts, develop policy and evaluate impact. I was part of OIT’s Evaluation Services Unit which specifically offers design and feasibility evaluations, process and implementation evaluations, impact evaluations and value-for-money evaluations of government policies.
Evaluation Report 1: Debt Advice in Prisons
During the internship, I worked on two evaluation reports, focusing on sensitive policies that could have a significant impact on vulnerable communities. The first report focused on a pilot intervention involving a virtual debt advice service in the prison context. While many aspects of life are paused during prison time, debt does not stop and often worsens by the time prisoners are released. Financial stress can subsequently worsen probation outcomes and potentially lead to re-offence. In response, the government is trialling debt advice services within prisons in order to improve financial wellbeing. Our team’s job has been to think about how to evaluate potential outcomes through an Impact Feasability Assessment.
Evaluation Report 2: Sanctuary Schemes
The second report was a Process and Implementation Evaluation aimed at understanding how Sanctuary Schemes are implemented across the UK. Sanctuary Schemes are a form of safe accommodation for victim-survivors of domestic abuse. If a victim-survivor chooses to remain in their home instead of being relocated, a set of safety measures can be installed to deter the perpetrator from re-entering the property and committing further harm. Based on our qualitative and quantitative research, we found that while most local authorities offer some form of Sanctuary Scheme, the way they are delivered varies significantly. As such, we aimed to highlight good practices and develop a toolkit for service providers.
Research Contributions
As part of these two evaluations, I contributed to report writing and conducted rapid evidence assessments while also supporting, charting and analysing interviews with service users and providers, and assisting with slide presentations to disseminate findings.
My background in ethnography and anthropology was particularly helpful in navigating interviews with a range of service providers and users, interpreting qualitative data and proposing ethical and practical considerations for qualitative primary data collection.
Learning from Policy Practice
The most fulfilling aspect of working in a policy environment was its collaborative nature. While a PhD research is often a path of solitude, the internship gave me the opportunity to work collaboratively on aspects of research I have grown accustomed to conduct independently, such as literature reviews, interviews and data analyses.
Receiving feedback that helped push my writing towards greater clarity was another notable takeaway from the internship. It is clear to me that while social researchers and policy advisers in government may use slightly different vocabularies to researchers in academia, the skills we employ are complementary, if not very similar.
I cannot recommend policy internships enough for understanding in practice how doctoral research skills can translate beyond academic contexts.
Placements Showcase
