Connect Hackney

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Connect Hackney aims to improve the wellbeing of Hackney residents aged 50 and over by reducing or preventing loneliness and isolation. The £5.8m six-year programme (2015 – 2021) is one of 14 programmes across England funded by The National Lottery Community Fund’s ‘Fulfilling Lives, Ageing Better programme.

Each programme is working with delivery partners to collect data that will inform our understanding of what works in combating social isolation and loneliness for people aged 50 and over.

This national evaluation is underpinned by the Common Measure Framework (CMF): a set of questionnaires to support Connect Hackney projects and the other Ageing Better programmes to collect consistent data.

Older people participating in the projects are invited to answer questions on a number of themes including: social isolation; social contact, social participation, volunteering, and health and wellbeing. Data is collected when an individual first joins a programme of activities, when they finish with the programme and,6 months afterwards. This helps us to start to understand the mid and long–term impact of the activities and older people’s experience of social isolation and loneliness.

The national evaluation team also support Connect Hackney and other Ageing Better programme and with qualitative evaluation. They do this by producing policy papers, longitudinal case studies and filmed case studies to add to the evidence base of the Ageing Better programme.

At the end of the Ageing Better programme in 2021, all the learning will be shared through a series of national research papers and reports.

Collecting data to support programme evaluation

The test and learn approach

What we’ve learnt so far