Research and Evaluation
Why you are motivated to be involved and support the organisation’s mission and objectives?
So very often those with lived experienced of the care system and the criminal justice system are unjustly viewed as not being able to achieve in life while also lacking the appropriate support to reach their potential. Career Matters aims to reduce the inequalities for these cohorts by recognising the potential and working to provide a space in which they can thrive and not just survive. It is for this reason I choose to work with Career Matters and their amazing innovative Thrive Project.Role at Career Matters
My role with Career Matters will be working with an amazing team to independently evaluate the pilot of the Thrive Project. I will be bringing experience in quantitative and qualitative research as well as evaluative experience of innovations and projects aimed at improving the outcomes of Care Leavers. The evaluation will work with all stakeholders to ensure the project is working to its best for everyone involved, and importantly, to be a successful innovation that is able to be expanded and rolled out nationally.Headline experience
Carrie Harrop is a researcher with lived experience of the English foster care system. Having recently carried out her MA in Childhood Youth and Social Policy with mixed methods research base to evaluate the accessibility of UK leaving care services, Carrie is currently undertaking her PhD in Social Policy, carrying out a multi-method and a user led approach to investigate the Financial needs of Care Leavers in their transitions to adulthood. Carrie comes with over 10 years of professional experience of writing, running, and evaluating innovations for Care Leavers in their transition to adulthood and is currently a co-investigator on the Exploring Innovation in Transition (EXIT) Study for Care Leavers, which is investigating what principles and requirements help innovations become sustainable. Carrie also sits on several advisory groups for innovative evaluation projects aimed at care leavers and their transition needs and support requirements.
