System Maturity Conditions for Place-based Systemic Approaches to Physical Activity Inequalities

The National Evaluation and Learning Partnership (NELP) is working with Sport England and local communities to support learning and evaluation of whole systems and placed-based approaches, enhancing understanding of how to address inequalities in physical activity. NELP defines a Place-based systemic approach (PBSA) as whole system approach located within and tailored to the unique contexts and features within a defined place. This seeks to create enabling conditions for physical activity across multiple layers of society, from individuals to communities, organisational policy and practice, and the built and natural environment with an emphasis on strengthening communities and rooted in distinctive local characteristics. Each PBSA is unique, influenced by its context including setting, socio-demographics, and mix of communities and organizations. Efforts to drive change are not isolated but aligned, achieving outcomes that are often ‘more than the sum of their parts’.

The NELP conceptual model describes two key dimensions which together, contribute to a better understanding of what works in tackling inequalities in physical activity. The first outlines three interconnected practices – or areas of action – where efforts to tackle inequalities may take place. The second sets out nine conditions – or dynamic characteristics of complex systems operating within the place, that may be necessary for tackling these inequalities.

Analysis of data from different Places highlights that the presence of certain ‘conditions for change’ were not wholly present, or absent but there in different forms, breadths and depths. Furthermore, interrogation of data from the same Place Partnership over time (e.g. evaluation and learning submissions over successive six-monthly waves) demonstrated changes within and across system conditions, including new emergent properties. This prompted the development of a system maturity matrix.

The maturity matrix takes the sub-themes of the conceptual framework and then describes stages of maturity reflecting combinations of ‘quantitative’ changes i.e. questions of breadth and scale, as well as qualitative shifts. Rubrics, based on reported data, as well as inferred or envisioned data describe shifts from ‘status quo’, ‘emerging’, ‘establishing’ and ‘embedded’ states, on a seven-point scale.