The evaluation of Safe and Well visits as part of the prevention activities of Fire and Rescue Services in England

Abstract

Purpose

Safe and Well visits are the primary preventative vehicle now used by all Fire and Rescue Services in England. The purpose of this paper is to examine their recent development to identify notable practice and potential improvements.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review and archival document analysis have been supplemented by data and information from the evaluation of a case study at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Findings

There is considerable scope to improve Safe and Well visits, although individual services and the sector are not yet able to implement effective benchmarking across services or commission a more appropriate evaluation methodology such as a social return on investment.

Research limitations/implications

The research is situationally bound to England, although there may be transferable lessons to other services and jurisdictions.

Practical implications

Potential future improvements are identified and recommended at local and national levels, both in the data and information available, and for policy, operationalisation and public assurance.

Originality/value

Although a small number of professional reviews have been undertaken, the authors are not aware of any academic evaluation of Safe and Well visits since they superseded the previous Home Fire Safety Checks.

Citation

Lakoma, K. and Murphy, P. (2023), "The evaluation of Safe and Well visits as part of the prevention activities of Fire and Rescue Services in England", International Journal of Emergency Services, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 271-282. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-09-2022-0053