Doubts About The What Works Initiative
| Published date | 01 December 2000 |
| Date | 01 December 2000 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/026455050004700408 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
REFLECTIONS
Doubts About The
What Works Initiative
Simon Merrington and Steve Stanley urge a more critical appraisal
of effective practice orthodoxy, particularly the UK
evidence base
for accredited programmes.
The Adoption of What Works Findings
Practice’, for widespread distribution
The promotion in the UK of the What
(Chapman and Hough, 1998). A Home
Office Pathfinder Unit was set
Works
up, and the
message that some probation
first Circular (Home Office,1998) was
interventions can be successful in reducing
issued,
offending,
inviting probation services to
can be dated back at least to the
submit bids for national Pathfinders, to be
first What Works conference in 1991. The
judged against What Works criteria. Since
year before, Chris Nuttall, then Head of
then the Circulars have come thick and fast,
Home
Office Research, presented a spirited
demolition of the ’nothing works’ doctrine
culminating in a What Works Strategy
document (Home Office, 2000a).
to an ACOP conference. However, there
was a long gap before What Works was
A
National Curriculum for England and
adopted as policy, and actively promoted
Wales
by the Home Office. As recently as the
The
mid-1990s the Home Office
government’s 1999-2001 Crime
was instead
Reduction
emphasising achievement of national
Strategy involves spending
£21m over three
standards and value for
years on developing and
money, as
measured by key
rolling out a national curriculum of
performance indicators
(inputs and
programmes to reduce offending. This year
outputs rather than outcomes).
the first wave of accredited Pathfinders are
A
major sea change has taken place in
being rolled out to probation services.
the last three years. The Home Office
These
are
all
general
offending
published a survey of What Works research
programmes
based
on
cognitive-
and cognitive-behavioural methods used by
behavioural principles - McGuire’s ’Think
probation services (Vennard et al, 1997). It
First’, ’Enhanced Thinking Skills’ (ETS),
commissioned Andrew Underdown to
’Reasoning and Rehabilitation’ (R&R),
and
survey probation programmes and test
the ’Priestley One-to-one’ programme. By
them against What Works criteria
2003/4 the Home Office expects probation
(Underdown, 1998), and then produced a
services to be putting 60,000 offenders
good practice guide, ’Evidence Based
through them (Home Office 2000a).
272
This represents a more ambitious
situation will improve. Meanwhile we
governmental adoption of the What Works
doubt whether it is accurate enough to
findings for supervision in the community
measure changes of the order of 4%
than has occurred in any other country in
expected...
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