Loneliness measurement explored: how can we make measurement work for practitioners?

Date: Thursday 24 November 2022

Time: 2-4pm (GMT) (online)

Would you like the chance to help improve loneliness measurement for practitioners?

Come along and help make loneliness measurement more workable for people who are involved evaluating loneliness interventions.

This event is an opportunity for discussion about:

The benefits and challenges of helping to make loneliness measurement workable for practitioners who are evaluating interventions

· How evidence from these evaluations can be used to improve practice while also adding to the wider evidence about effectiveness of tackling loneliness interventions

It will be of interest to practitioners, service leaders, policy makers and researchers working in this area.

Tim Anfilogoff is Head of Community Resilience at Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group and formerly NHS England’s Social Prescribing Regional Facilitator for the East of England. Over thirty years he has seen the loneliness of many family carers first-hand and has in-depth knowledge of the work of VCFSE (Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise) organisations. In the context of this work and wider experience, Tim will talk about local use of the Campaign to End Loneliness measurement tool by social prescribers and how this has helped them demonstrate their impact.

Professor Johanna Badcock is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Western Australia and a registered clinical psychologist. She is Vice Chairperson and Deputy Scientific Chair of Ending Loneliness Together (ELT) in Australia and is one of the co-founders of the Global Initiative on Loneliness and Connection. A key strand of ELT work has been to make loneliness measurement practical and useful for community organisations who are working to address loneliness. Jo will talk about lessons learned from this work: the barriers to and benefits of loneliness measurement. 

Ravneet Virdi is Head of Tackling Loneliness at Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which leads delivery of Government’s Tackling Loneliness Strategy. One of the key objectives of the strategy was to improve the evidence base on loneliness, making a compelling case for action, and ensuring everyone has the information they need to make informed decisions through challenging times. Ravneet will discuss DCMS’s work to date on loneliness measurement, building the evidence base, and how practitioner measurement can contribute to our collective understanding of what works to tackle loneliness.