Evaluation of Safe and Well visits 2019/20

In 2018 Kent Fire & Rescue Service (KFRS) commissioned the National Social Marketing Centre (NSMC) to develop an evaluation framework around its customer safety interventions. The aim of this was to provide guidance on methods and data collection tools which could be implemented to determine the effectiveness of the interventions and identify areas for improvements (NSMC, 2018). Based on the logic model, which was designed around all customer safety activity, the current evaluation of Safe & Well visits considers short term outcomes (e.g. recall of information, change in knowledge/awareness, equipment fitted, and actions taken), some medium-term outcomes (e.g. applying knowledge to behaviour, intention to change behaviour), and to some degree the long term outcome of self-reported behaviour change.

In line with the NSMC recommendation, the evaluation used a cross-sectional post-intervention survey, using primarily qualitative, open-ended questions to gain depth of information, and allowed participants to offer an explanation for their responses. In addition, we sought feedback from staff who deliver Safe & Well (S&W) visits, via focus groups, to combine with customer feedback to give a more rounded view of the impact S&W visits have on customer safety. Responses were analysed using thematic content analysis.