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Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children Research & Development (R&D)

Learning to Improve. Measuring to Grow.

In a constantly changing social reality, the only way to know we are truly helping is to keep learning.
At Yeladim, research is our compass. It helps us ask better questions, measure impact, and make informed decisions – again and again.
We see research accountability as a core value: understanding what works, measuring real outcomes, and maximizing every dollar and every idea through data-driven thinking.
We don’t fear mistakes. We test, refine, and turn knowledge into action – so the change we create is meaningful and lasting.

Developing Knowledge That Strengthens the Field

Yeladim’s leading Research & Development unit was created out of a simple need: to understand what truly works – and what doesn’t.
How do programs affect children, young adults, and staff?
How can field-based knowledge become practical tools that drive real change?
For us, research is not separate from practice – it is part of it.
We study to improve.
We document to learn.
We measure to refine.
And whenever we identify a new need, we develop a creative, flexible, system-level response.

Our Working Model

Real life is always the starting point: a conversation with a counselor, a child’s experience, a pattern that keeps repeating.

From there, we connect:

• The research world – careful, analytical, rigorous
• The development world – agile, experimental, responsive

Every new initiative follows a structured pathway – like product development in a high-tech company.
This ensures that every program is not just a good idea, but a solution that truly works.

Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children
1

Identifying a Real Need

A challenge emerging from the field

Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children
2

Initial Development (MVP)

A focused small-scale solution

Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children
3

Pilot (Proof of Concept)

Multi-year testing with staff and participants

Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children
4

Evaluation & Measurement

Assessing effectiveness across multiple indicators

Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children
5

Refinement & Expansion

What works grows. What doesn’t is improved – or discontinued

Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children

Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children The Effectiveness Index

Knowing When to Grow and When to Let Go

After each program completes an extended pilot (typically around three years), we conduct a comprehensive effectiveness review.
Not based on intuition – but on clear, measurable criteria.

We assess multiple dimensions, including:

• Impact on participants
• Relevance to field needs
• Long-term sustainability
• Budget feasibility
• Collaboration with government and partners

Each dimension is weighted differently, recognizing that some factors are measurable and others are qualitative but equally important.

At the end of the process, we have one clear picture:
Where should we deepen our investment?
And where is it time to move on?

This is how we grow responsibly – investing resources where real value is created.

Partnerships in Israel and Around the World

The knowledge we develop is built in collaboration with partners in academia, government, and civil society – both in Israel and internationally.
We share a common goal:
To understand the needs of children and young people without family support – and to develop knowledge-based responses that strengthen the field.
In Israel, we work with leading research institutions to evaluate programs, develop tools, and bridge theory with practice.

Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children
Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children
Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children
Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children

International Collaboration

We are part of a global professional community advancing research, innovation, and professional development for those working with children and youth without family support.
These partnerships allow us to learn from international models – and share knowledge developed here in Israel.

Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children

International organization promoting knowledge and collaboration in out-of-home care

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Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children

International Network for Research and Development in Care Leavers

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Social–Technological Innovation Lab

What Social Innovation Looks Like

Our innovation lab brings together field professionals, technologists, academics, and philanthropic partners to develop solutions for children and young adults in residential care – especially those without family support, one of Israel’s most vulnerable and often invisible populations.
We work like a product development team:
Identify a problem.
Build a small solution.
Test it.
Document it.
Improve it.
Except instead of apps, we develop life-changing programs.
Behind every development process stands Yeladim’s Content & Development Committee – a joint steering team of field professionals and academic experts.
The committee meets annually to select two new focus areas for research and development, based on emerging social realities and field needs.
This is how we stay relevant and grounded in knowledge rather than instinct.
Programs such as Parents as Partners, Bridge to Independence, and Lifelong Connections all began as ideas within this process before becoming national initiatives influencing policy.

Have an idea for a new social innovation relevant to children and care leavers? We would love to hear it.

Evaluation Research & Open Knowledge

Learning to Improve. Publishing to Influence.

Over the years, we have conducted dozens of evaluation studies on our core programs in partnership with universities, research institutes, and government bodies.
The findings do not remain internal.
They are publicly available, accessible to anyone working with children and youth without family support and serve as a foundation for policy change.

We invite you to get to know our research up close.
Yeladim - Fair Chance for Children

Practical tools and insights for the field

Turning Knowledge into Practical Tools

We believe knowledge belongs in the field.
Only when teams can use it does it create real change.
Our research does not end with publication. It becomes practical tools for professionals on the ground:
• Progress and resilience indicators
• Data collection and reflection tools
• Field-tested methodologies
Each tool is developed in collaboration with practitioners and returned to them with the ability to measure, reflect, and improve in real time.
One example is the digital orientation module we developed with the Ministry of Welfare’s Out-of-Home Care Division on parental partnership.
This module transformed in-depth research into an accessible learning tool for new residential staff – helping them understand the topic, gain practical tools, and shift their mindset from day one.
Every insight that emerges from our fieldwork shapes how children in Israel grow, learn, and build belief in themselves.
Join us on a journey where research leads to action – and action generates new knowledge.

Together, we will continue to measure, understand, and improve - so every child truly has a fair chance.

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