Our projects

Here are a selection of our previous projects and what clients say about working with us.

Evaluation of Halton Family Hubs

We carried out an evaluation of Halton Family Hubs following its recent transformation, to understand impact, explore in what ways the new offer was supporting families, and how they could continue to build on this. This involved visits to the hubs and observations of hub sessions, staff and stakeholder engagement, and interviews and digital ethnography with families accessing services.

Read our full report or watch our video summary.

“The SMPL Research team were fantastic to work with on the independent evaluation of our Family Hubs programme. They were professional throughout, really flexible when things changed, and always delivered on time. The report was brilliantly formatted and easy to navigate, and we loved the creative use of different media to capture feedback – including voice notes embedded in the documents – which brought the findings to life. Their approach made the whole process straightforward and collaborative, and the insights they provided were clear and valuable. We’d happily work with them again.”
Strategic Lead for Early Help and Family Hubs, Halton Borough Council

Transport safety for women and girls, Connected Places Catapult

We carried out an online survey, interviews and digital ethnography with women and girls aged 12-17 across the UK, to explore their experiences of safety whilst travelling and using public transport. Findings informed safety interventions and our report has been published by the Department for Transport.

“SMPL Research’s thoughtful engagement with school-aged girls on challenging topics provided Connected Places Catapult with invaluable insights into the lived experiences and perceptions of transport safety, which elevated underrepresented voices in the research. Their comprehensive approach and findings have significantly deepened our understanding, allowing us to make more informed and impactful recommendations.”
Social Research Specialist, Connected Places Catapult

Women’s Public Spaces Safety Programme evaluation, Mayor’s Office for Policing & Crime

Our work for MOPAC included a process evaluation of a Women’s Safety Audit programme whereby residents were trained as ‘community researchers’ to conduct safety audits with their communities, and an impact evaluation of the Women’s Night Safety Charter. We carried out observations, surveys, interviews, digital ethnography, and extensive stakeholder engagement with organisations across London. Findings informed the future rollout of the charter and safety audit programmes.

Evaluation of ‘Walk Away’ behaviour change campaign, Leicestershire Police

We evaluated the impact of Leicestershire Police’s behaviour change campaign to reduce one-punch homicides in the night-time economy. This included analysis of crime data, stakeholder and public surveys, in-depth interviews, and creative engagement with young men in Leicester. Findings informed future campaign activity and our evaluation approach has been shared with other police forces nationally. Read more about this work on our Substack.

Evidence review into loneliness support, Independent Business Owner

For an independent business owner, we carried out an evidence review to explore the prevalence and impacts of loneliness in the UK, and the effectiveness of different types of support. This included an analysis of government and non-profit interventions and identification of gaps in provision. Findings provided our client with opportunities to take her business proposals forward for grant funding.

“Poppy and the SMPL team have been great research partners…I very much appreciated being kept updated on proceedings; I was consulted every step of the way and reports were provided when promised. When I requested tweaks or further information on things, they were provided in good time. I have no hesitation in recommending Poppy – she has been very thorough and communicative.”
Independent Business Owner