Outcomes Star & Outcomes Star Online

Outcomes Star is an outcomes measurement tool to be used in direct work with children, young people, and parents/carers. The tool is a star shape, comprising a set of scales covering key outcome areas relevant to your service. A Star is completed together with the person you are supporting, to give a visual overview of that person’s life right now – what is going well and where more support is needed – so an action plan can be created that helps support them through their journey.

An Introduction - An introduction to Outcomes Star

Types of Stars - Different Types of Stars to suit different purposes

Why use it? - Why use the Outcome Star?

Outcomes Star Online is the home of Outcomes Star on the web. It is a platform which allows you to complete Star recordings together with children, young people, and parents/carers, see your data, and get ready-made outcomes reports. The online platform allows managers to easily visualise, collate and report data for all service users across the service. Using the online application removes the need for manual processing of data at both a service and organisation level, making this the most efficient way to use Outcomes Star.

Introductory Video - Star Online | Triangle (outcomesstar.org.uk)

How to use Star Online video - How to use Star Online - A brief introduction (vimeo.com)

Why use it? -  OS-Briefing_Considering-the-SOL-L11.pdf (outcomesstar.org.uk)

​​​​​​Outcomes Star Online can be used by anyone involved in direct work with children, young people, and parents/carers. Project workers and practitioners can use it to help assess, plan and measure outcomes for people supported through services. Managers and team leaders can use it to help oversee the quality and results of work delivered in services.

Outcomes Star Online is a recommended tool as part of Barnardo’s new Outcomes Framework. It is also validated and recommended by the Child Outcomes Research Consortium (CORC). Outcomes Star Online is used in lots of different settings, including local authorities and other charities, so it will help you work more consistently with other partners and services.

• You can choose from many different ‘types’ of Star. Using the Star visual can help service users and practitioners see their progress and make action plans/goals for areas they might be struggling with.
• The Star is completed collaboratively vs self-reporting or a professional-only tool.
• It supports with action planning. The Star allows you to easily see information about the areas where support is needed. It is an empowering, person-centred and holistic tool.
• It provides a clearer and more detailed picture of change. The Outcome Star measures outcomes – for example school attendance– but includes broader outcomes such as quality of life. It also gives you an engaging star shape to visualise change.
• It creates insightful data that can help us plan our future service provision.

Outcomes Star Online can be used in lots of different types of services that work directly with children, young people, parents and/or carers.

Under the new Barnardo's Outcomes Framework, we strongly recommend you use Outcomes Star Online. In addition to the benefits for your service and service users (outlined above), the data you record will feed into Barnardo’s Outcomes Framework, which is then used by many teams to evidence the impact Barnardo’s makes.

Using Outcomes Star in other ways (such as paper-based or other survey websites only) could risk invalidating the use of the tool and does not give the accountability and usability of data that using the Outcomes Star Online platform does.

The decision to use Outcomes Star Online must be taken by Service Managers. Once this decision is made the Service Manager should liaise with outcomestaronline@barnardos.org.uk to get the service set up on the system.

All staff using the Outcomes Star must have completed core Outcomes Star training. Core training | Triangle (outcomesstar.org.uk)

This training must be booked directly with Triangle and paid for by the service. Training can be organised by following this link and selecting ‘contact us’. Contact Us | Triangle (outcomesstar.org.uk)

Once training has been completed, you will need to request a licence for Outcomes Star Online, by completing this Online Form.

• A licence costs around £35 per person, per year (as at April 2024). Licences are billed annually in July to the service the licence holder is assigned to, and the licence automatically joins Barnardo’s annual renewal cycle.
• If a licence is no longer needed (e.g. if a staff member leaves Barnardo’s) the service manager should contact outcomestaronline@barnardos.org.uk so the licence can be deactivated, otherwise the service will continue to be charged.
• If a licence holder does not log in to the system for a period of 6 months, their licence will be deactivated (licences can be reactivated upon request).
• You can have one or many license holders in your service, depending on what you need.

Within Barnardo’s, Outcome Star Online licence set up and administration is carried out by the Research and Evaluation team.

• Request a licence for Outcomes Star Online, by completing this online form
• You can contact the Research and Evaluation Team for more information at outcomestaronline@barnardos.org.uk 
• Get the most from Outcomes Star - Free webinar programme HERE  ​​​​​
• Top tips for using the Star with service users – videos HERE
• Guidance for using Reports on Outcomes Star Online HERE

• For licence queries contact outcomestaronline@barnardos.org.uk
• For all other enquiries please speak to your Management Information Officer or Analyst
• For support with Outcomes Star Online contact support@staronline.org.uk