What Works Centre for Wellbeing

What Works Centre for Wellbeing
Name	What Works Centre for Wellbeing
Type	Research organisation
Founded	2014
Headquarters	London
Leader title	Director
Leader name	National Centre for Social Research (initial host)

What Works Centre for Wellbeing The What Works Centre for Wellbeing is an independent UK-based centre that synthesises evidence to improve population Well-being outcomes across public and private sectors. It produces guidance and tools used by policymakers in contexts such as Department for Education (United Kingdom), Department of Health and Social Care, local authorities, and NHS organisations. The centre works with academic institutions including University College London, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge to translate findings for practitioners such as Nesta, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, King's Fund, and RSA.

Overview and mission

The centre's mission is to improve understanding of how interventions influence subjective Happiness and Life satisfaction across populations, sectors, and age groups by assessing evidence from trials, evaluations, and systematic reviews. It develops frameworks for measurement that align with instruments used by Office for National Statistics, European Social Survey, and researchers at London School of Economics and University of Manchester. The centre aims to inform decision-making in settings including Public Health England, Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and non-governmental organisations such as Oxfam, Save the Children, and Mind.

History and governance

Established in 2014, the centre was created as part of the wider What Works Network that includes bodies like What Works Clearinghouse and What Works Network UK initiatives supported by funders such as Economic and Social Research Council and Big Lottery Fund. Its initial host arrangements involved the National Centre for Social Research and later collaborations with Centre for Ageing Better and Alliance for Useful Evidence. Governance has included advisory input from actors such as Institute for Government, Royal Statistical Society, and academic leads affiliated with King's College London, University of Warwick, and University of Exeter.

Research and evidence synthesis

The centre routinely conducts systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and evidence gap maps drawing on trials from institutions like randomised controlled trials catalogued by Cochrane Collaboration and datasets from Understanding Society, British Household Panel Survey, and international sources such as OECD datasets. Outputs include methods guidance that references measurement work by Diener, economic valuation approaches used by HM Treasury Green Book guidance, and evaluation standards promoted by International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie). The centre's synthesis techniques intersect with practices at Evidence Aid, Campbell Collaboration, and EPPI-Centre.

Programs and initiatives

Programs have targeted groups and settings including children and young people in collaboration with Department for Education (United Kingdom), older adults alongside Age UK and Centre for Ageing Better, and workforce wellbeing with partners such as Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Trade Union Congress. Initiatives include development of practical tools for commissioners used by CCGs, local authorities such as Manchester City Council and Glasgow City Council, and charities like Save the Children and Barnardo's. The centre has run workshops and learning cohorts in partnership with Nesta, Young Foundation, and Big Society Capital to promote uptake across public services, voluntary sector organisations, and private sector firms including insurers and pension providers like Legal & General.

Impact, policy influence, and evaluations

The centre's evidence summaries and guidance have influenced policy documents and strategies produced by Office for National Statistics, Public Health England, Local Government Association, and government white papers addressing wellbeing metrics and outcomes. Independent evaluations have examined uptake by stakeholders including National Audit Office reports, academic citations in journals such as The Lancet Public Health, BMJ, and Social Science & Medicine, and impact case studies for funding bodies like Research Excellence Framework submissions. Collaborations with think tanks such as Institute for Public Policy Research and Policy Exchange have extended influence into parliamentary inquiries and select committee evidence submissions.

Funding and partnerships

Funding has come from a mixture of public grants, charitable foundations, and partnerships with organisations including Economic and Social Research Council, Big Lottery Fund, Trust for London, and philanthropic supporters like Wellcome Trust and Nesta. Strategic partnerships span universities such as University College London, research centres including Centre for Cities, and charities like Age UK, Mind, and Samaritans. International collaboration occurs with bodies such as the World Health Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and academic networks at Harvard University and Yale University that study subjective wellbeing measurement and policy application.

Category:Research organisations in the United Kingdom