Appendices

Discussion Guide - Project Leads: 90 minutes

Introduction

Research Scotland has been commissioned to evaluate the Free Bikes for Children Pilots for Transport Scotland. Our focus is on the process of establishing and running the pilots, what works well, what challenges there have been, lessons learned and value for money. We are also interested in immediate impact for children and young people, in terms of bike usage.

The evaluation will help to inform decisions about the provision of free bikes for children in Scotland. Importantly, the evaluation does not directly compare the performance of projects. We are interested in identifying key areas of learning around what works and lessons learned, which will be presented sensitively and anonymously.

All views will be presented anonymously. Please be as open and honest about learning as possible, as this learning will help to provide children and young people with free bikes in the most effective and sustainable way in the future. If we do wish to include examples where your project is named, we will send these to you for review and agree these with you before inclusion in the report.

Taking part is voluntary. You can choose to cease participation at any time, choose not to answer a specific question, or take a break at any time. You don’t need to give us a reason for this. Just let the researcher know.

• Do you have any questions before we start?
• Do you consent to voluntarily taking part in this interview?

Section 1: Project Set Up

1. How did the idea for the pilot emerge? How did you decide on the model of provision?
   Prompt: Ownership/ loan/ library/ blended
2. Can you talk me through the process of getting the pilot set up and operational?
   Prompt: Staffing/ governance/ partners
3. How many staff are needed to deliver the project? (Note: FTE)

Section 2: Identifying Children and Young People

4. How did you define the group you were targeting?
5. How did you target these groups?
   Prompt: Referrals/ partners/ applications?
6. What access criteria did you have in place, if any?
7. What worked well about targeting participants? What challenges did you experience?
8. So far, how do you feel about the profile of participants engaged in the pilot?
   Prompt: As expected? Over/ under representation?

Section 3: Working with Partners

9. Which other organisations have you worked with as partners to deliver your pilot project? What has worked well? What has been challenging?
10. Have you had formal referral or service level agreements in place with partners? How has this helped/ hindered?
11. In what ways, if any, does your project link with and complement other existing provision in the area?

Section 4: Procuring and Distributing Equipment

12. How have you procured/ accessed equipment? What has worked well about this? What has been challenging?
13. How has equipment been distributed to children and young people? What has worked well? What has been challenging?

Section 5: Meeting a Range of Needs

14. How have you adapted your provision to cater for children and young people with a range of needs?
    Prompt: Equipment/ support/ signposting
15. Has your project involved providing adaptive bikes or bespoke bikes to meet specific needs? What has worked well about this? What is challenging?
16. How has the characteristics of the area influenced how your project operates?
    Prompt: Rural/ urban/ social deprivation

Section 6: Supporting Safe and Sustainable Use

17. How have you engaged with parents/ carers and ensured that the relevant consents are in place? What has helped/ hindered with this?
18. How have you built the skills of children and young people to use their bike safely?
    Prompt: Repairs/ maintenance/ route planning/ cycle skills/ clubs or groups
19. How have you ensured that bikes can be stored safely?
    Prompt: Storage options/ advice/ equipment
20. How have you built in sustainability in terms of:
    1. Use of the bike beyond the supported pilot period
    2. Children growing out of their bike

Section 7: Cost and Resources

21. How has the cost of providing equipment compared with your initial estimates? What has affected this?
22. How have the resources required to deliver the scheme compared with your initial estimates? What has affected this?
23. Have you been able to develop a staff team with the skills you need to deliver the project? What has helped/ hindered with this?
24. What insurances have you needed to run this pilot? How did you feel about the level of risk involved?

Section 8: Impact

25. How do you feel about progress towards achieving project objectives?
    Prompt: What evidence do you have to show this?
26. What has helped you to achieve project objectives? What has hindered?
27. What difference do you think the pilot is making to children, young people and families?
    Prompt: bike usage, activity levels, health and wellbeing, skills, environmental impact

Section 9: Learning and support

28. What kind of guidance, advice or support have you needed as your pilot progresses? Where have you accessed this?
29. Have you been able to get all the advice/ support you need? Any gaps?

Thank you

Any final comments?

Discussion Guide - Partners: 60 minutes (Adapted dependent on role)

Introduction

Research Scotland has been commissioned to evaluate the Free Bikes for Children Pilots for Transport Scotland. Our focus is on the process of establishing and running the pilots, what works well, what challenges there have been, lessons learned and value for money. We are also interested in immediate impact for children and young people, in terms of bike usage.

The evaluation will help to inform decisions about the provision of free bikes for children in Scotland. Importantly, the evaluation does not directly compare the performance of projects. We are interested in identifying key areas of learning around what works and lessons learned, which will be presented sensitively and anonymously.

All views will be presented anonymously. Please be as open and honest about learning as possible, as this learning will help to provide children and young people with free bikes in the most effective and sustainable way in the future. If we do wish to include examples where your project is named, we will send these to you for review and agree these with you before inclusion in the report.

Taking part is voluntary. You can choose to cease participation at any time, choose not to answer a specific question, or take a break at any time. You don’t need to give us a reason for this. Just let the researcher know.

• Do you have any questions before we start?
• Do you consent to voluntarily taking part in this interview?

Section 1: Project Set Up

1. Can you talk me through the role of your organisation in the pilot?

Section 2: Identifying Children and Young People

2. Were you involved in discussions about how to best identify children and young people?
   If yes, how did you define the group you were targeting?
3. Were you involved in recruiting or selecting children and young people for the pilot? If yes, how did you do this? Prompt: awareness raising/ access criteria/ process for access
4. What worked well about targeting participants? What challenges did you experience?
5. So far, how do you feel about the profile of participants engaged in the pilot?
   Prompt: As expected? Over/ under representation?

Section 3: Equipment and Needs

6. Have you been involved in procuring/ accessing/ distributing equipment? What has worked well about this? What has been challenging?
7. Have you been involved in adapting provision to cater for children and young people with a range of needs? What has worked well/ been challenging?

Section 4: Supporting Safe and Sustainable Use

8. How have you been involved in:
   • Ensuring relevant consents are in place
   • Building the skills of children and young people to use their bike safely
   • Ensuring equipment can be stored safely
   • Building in sustainability - beyond the pilot period
9. What has worked well about this? What has been challenging?

Section 5: Cost and Resources

10. Compared to your initial estimates, do you have any reflections on the:
    • cost of providing equipment
    • resources required to deliver the scheme
      What has affected this?
11. What insurances (if any) have you needed to be involved in this pilot? How did you feel about the level of risk involved?

Section 6: Impact

12. How do you feel about progress towards achieving project objectives?
    Prompt: What evidence do you have to show this?
13. What has helped you to achieve project objectives? What has hindered?
14. What difference do you think the pilot is making to children, young people and families? Prompt: bike usage, activity levels, health and wellbeing, skills, environmental impact

Section 7: Partnership, learning and support

15. Overall what has worked well about collaborating to deliver the project? What has been challenging?
16. Do you think that you will sustain the collaborative relationship for other projects?
17. What kind of guidance, advice or support have you needed as your pilot progresses? Where have you accessed this? Any gaps in support?

Thank you.

Discussion Guide - Discussions with Children and Young People

Introduction

Intro - voluntary, anonymous, consent.

The guide will be adapted for each project.

Equipment

1. How do you feel about (owning/ loaning) your bike?
2. What do you like most about your bike? What do you like least?
3. Did you get the chance to talk about what you wanted and needed from a bike?
4. Is the bike a good fit for you? Does it meet your needs?

Impact

5. What do you use your bike for?
6. How often do you use your bike?
7. Does anything make it difficult for you to use your bike? What would help you to use it more?
8. What difference has the project made to:
   1. How active you are? How much time do you spend on your bike each week? What would you have been doing otherwise?
   2. Your cycling skills?
   3. How healthy you feel?
9. Do you use your bike for any journeys - to school/ clubs/ friends? Before you had a bike, how would you have made these journeys?
10. Has having a bike made any other difference to you?

Safe and sustainable use

11. How did you feel about: (amend as necessary for each project):
    1. Getting help with developing your cycling skills
    2. Getting safety equipment (like helmets)
    3. Getting help to plan safe routes
    4. Getting help linking to cycling clubs and events
12. How easy is it to safely store your bike? What helps/ what is difficult?
13. How do you feel about how long the bike will last you?
14. What will you do when you grow out of it?

And finally

15. Overall, what was the best thing about the opportunity?
16. What didn’t work or could be better?
17. Can you complete this sentence ‘Without (this project)…’?
18. Any other comments?

Discussion Guide - Discussions with Parents and Carers

Introduction

Intro - voluntary, anonymous, consent.

The guide will be adapted for each project.

About the opportunity

1. How did you find out about the free bike opportunity?
2. How did you feel about the opportunity?
3. What encouraged you to get involved?
4. What were your initial hopes/ concerns?

Accessing the project

5. Did you have to apply, fill in a registration form or provide any information about your family to be able to take part in the project?
6. How did you feel about that? What worked well/ what didn’t?
7. Did you and any other guardians for your child have to provide consent or agreement for your child to have a bike through the project? Wat worked well/ what didn’t?

Equipment

8. How did you feel about the way in which the bike was provided?
   (Adapt based on project - to own/ loan/ library/ fleet)
9. How did you feel about the choices you and your child had in the type of bike provided?
10. How did you feel about the quality of bike provided?
11. To what extent does the bike provided meet the needs of your child?
12. How did you feel about the wider equipment provided?
    (Adapt based on project - helmet/ bell/ high viz etc)

Safe and sustainable use

13. How important was it to you that the project provided (amend as necessary for each project):
    1. Help with safely using the bike
    2. Help with planning safe routes
    3. Safety equipment like helmets
    4. Help with storing the bike
    5. Replacement support if the bike is stolen
    6. The opportunity to swap the bike as your child grows/ A bike that will grow with your child
    7. Bikes to meet different needs
    8. Links to cycling clubs and events
14. How do you feel about storage and security for the bike? What works well/ what is challenging?
15. How do you feel about how long the bike will last your child?

Impact

16. What does your child use their bike for?
17. How often do they use the bike?
18. Does anything make it difficult for your child to use their bike? What would help them use it more?
19. What difference has the project made to your child’s:
    1. Activity levels
    2. Cycling skills
    3. Health
20. Does your child use their bike for any journeys - to school/ clubs/ friends? How would they previously have made these journeys?
21. Has having a bike made any other difference to your child or family? (Probe: family journeys by bike?)

And finally

22. Overall, what was the best thing about the opportunity?
23. What didn’t work or could be better?
24. Without this project, what would have happened?
25. Any other comments?

< Previous | Contents

Back to top