Understanding the impact of support at OFG Education
OFG Education is a leading provider of education with more than 85 specialist schools across the UK. Through Outcomes First Schools, they support children and young people with additional needs through personalised education, therapeutic support and a commitment to positive outcomes. As part of CORC membership, OFG worked with CORC to develop an outcomes framework, support implementation, and support the analysis and understanding of data generated through outcome measurement used across services nationally. Within OFG, the work was led by the Head of Psychological Practice, with Psychological Practice clinicians implementing the framework and collecting outcome data, alongside wider organisational support to embed the approach in practice.
Developing an outcomes framework
Outcomes First Schools deliver a wide range of interventions and support relating to emotional wellbeing, mental health, communication, speech and language, and personal development. Whilst clinical outcome measures were already being used, approaches varied across the organisation. OFG joined CORC as a member in 2024 with the aim of developing a more consistent and meaningful approach to measuring and understanding outcomes across services, while retaining flexibility for the differing needs of children and young people.
Identifying measures appropriate for children of different ages, abilities and needs was a focus.
Working together, CORC and OFG explored a range of clinical outcome measures covering areas including functioning, goal progress, therapeutic alliance, and mental health and wellbeing. Following a review process, a suite of measures were selected for the framework. OFG subsequently developed guidance and resources to support implementation across Psychological Practice.
Building on the initial work undertaken with CORC, OFG has subsequently refined its approach in response to implementation learning and the developing needs of its services. The revised approach continues to bring together information about outcomes, individual goals and young people’s experience of support, while allowing greater flexibility in the measures used and recognising relevant service and indirect-intervention outcomes. Importantly, the framework emphasises using this information to inform review, formulation and decision-making in practice.
Supporting staff and integrating measures
Implementation was approached as an ongoing process rather than simply introducing a new set of measures. OFG developed guidance and resources alongside a programme of support that included webinars and training, clinician Q&A sessions, organisational forums for sharing learning and good practice, and site visits to support implementation and quality assurance. Wider organisational support was also important in championing the approach locally and helping practitioners embed outcome measurement in practice. Practitioner feedback was also used to identify barriers, inform ongoing refinements and understand where further guidance or support was needed.
CORC contributed to two online workshops for staff to share evidence base for outcome measures, explore the tools in more detail and share guidance on goal-setting. The workshops generated valuable discussion around the use of outcome measures within specific therapy modalities, using measures with children who have experienced trauma, and adapting tools to meet individual communication and accessibility needs. One of the benefits of CORC membership is the opportunity to share learning and expertise across organisations. As part of this, OFG staff met with colleagues from YPAS, who shared their experience of embedding outcome measurement within play therapy services. YPAS provided practical examples of how measures can be integrated into therapeutic work while maintaining a child-centred approach. CORC membership also provided access to ongoing advice on outcome measurement, alongside other workshops that clinicians could attend to build their knowledge and confidence.
Impact
OFG now has a shared organisational framework for outcome measurement across Psychological Practice, being implemented consistently across services. This marks a move away from a more localised approach, in which services used different established practices and measures. CORC’s expertise, resources and ongoing support have provided valuable external input throughout this journey, complementing the implementation and embedding work undertaken within OFG.
This has enabled clinical outcome data to be collated across Outcomes First Schools at a national level, representing a significant milestone in understanding the impact of clinical support for children and young people. Five rounds of national data have now been collected, including the first full academic year of outcome data. This provides an increasingly robust picture of outcomes across services and an important foundation for organisational learning, evaluating impact and continuing to develop clinical practice.
Next steps
OFG is now moving forward with this revised approach, continuing to strengthen implementation and explore how outcome and experience data can be meaningfully brought together across services. The focus remains on ensuring that measurement is proportionate, relevant to the purpose of support and the individual needs of children and young people, and useful in demonstrating outcomes and informing review, formulation and decision-making.
