About us
At the What Works Centre for Wellbeing we believe that improving people’s wellbeing is the ultimate goal of effective policy and community action.
We are an independent collaborating centre that develops and shares robust and accessible wellbeing evidence to improve decision-making.
We work closely with partners to answer key questions on what works to improve wellbeing and identify the gaps in the research to be filled. Our evidence is useful to and used by:
- Governments: national, local, and the wider public sector.
- Businesses: large, small and multi national, professional bodies.
- Civil society: charities, social enterprises and community groups.
The Centre is a registered Community Interest Company. You can view all our current and former funders and partners here.
How do we do this?
Our vision is of a future where the wellbeing of people and communities in the UK improves year-on-year and wellbeing inequalities are reduced.
Our mission is to develop and share robust, accessible and useful evidence that governments, businesses, communities and people use to improve wellbeing across the UK.
We do this by:
- collating existing evidence on the effectiveness of programmes and practices;
- producing high-quality synthesis reports and systematic reviews in areas where they do not currently exist;
- assessing the effectiveness of policies and practices against an agreed set of outcomes;
- filling gaps in the evidence base by commissioning new trials and evaluations;
- sharing findings in an accessible way;
- supporting practitioners, commissioners and policymakers to use these findings to inform their decision.
Our approach is:
- trusted
- independent
- evidence-based
- collaborative
- practical
- iterative
- open
What is a What Works Centre?
We are part of the What Works Network and The Evidence Quarter. This network improves the way government and other organisations create, share and use high-quality, robust evidence for decision-making.
Other members of the What Works Network are:
| What Works Centre | Policy area |
|---|---|
| National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) | Health and social care |
| Education Endowment Foundation | Educational achievement |
| College of Policing What Works Centre for Crime Reduction | Crime reduction |
| Early Intervention Foundation | Early intervention |
| What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth (hosted by LSE, Arup, Centre for Cities) |
Local economic growth |
| Centre for Ageing Better | Improved quality of life for older people |
| Centre for Homelessness Impact | Homelessness |
| What Works for Children’s Social Care | Children’s social care |