HOW do you measure empathy?

That is one of the intricate and intriguing questions that York company Qa Research was brought in to help solve this year. It is the sort of bespoke, complex project that has landed the pioneering researchers recognition in two major awards.

The question arose when Qa Research, based in Mill House, North Street, worked on the “baby in the classroom” project for children’s charity Action for Children.

As the name suggests, the scheme saw mums bring their babies into primary school. The idea was that the school children would see the infants interacting with their mothers and learn lessons in empathy and social behaviour.

With partners at the University of Glasgow, the Qa team researched the effectiveness of the Roots Of Empathy programme.

And to answer that question about measuring empathy, Qa put together a research strategy that enabled its team to garner invaluable feedback not only from teachers, parents and local authority staff, but the children themselves.

This research found that the children who took part in the “baby in the classroom” programme became more kind and supportive to others, and less aggressive.

It is a piece of work which has seen the company shortlisted for the national MRS Award for Public Policy and Social Research in December, honouring the best examples of research that makes a difference.

That nomination follows quickly on Qa Research being shortlisted in the MRS Operations Awards for data collection on behalf of homelessness charity Crisis.

Although it didn’t win, this is a project which makes managing director Richard Bryan particularly proud. He was among the team who conducted face-to-face surveys with 1,000 homeless people to find out the impact of benefits sanctions – no easy task when this is a transient audience, many of whom have mental health problems or are dependent on drugs or alcohol.

The work was featured on the BBC 10 O’Clock News – and has been taken to the heart of Westminster.

“Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn quoted our research in the House of Commons, shining a light on homeless people being kicked when they’re down,” Richard said. “The benefits sanctions meant they received no money at all, when they were already on the edge.”

This is the sort of project that very few research agencies are qualified to undertake. But it is Qa’s USP – working with diverse, vulnerable or hard-to-reach groups who often have no voice. The York researchers not only give them that voice, but help them to be heard among policymakers who have the power to change things for the better.

Qa Research has come a long way since being founded by Peter Harrington – still its chairman – after he graduated from York St John University in 1989. Today it has developed into a nationally-renowned social and market research agency, with 24 permanent staff, as well as almost 100 interviewers in its telephone research centre.

In the last five years Qa has broadened its portfolio. Alongside public-sector clients, the agency now works with many universities and charities, as well as private-sector companies who value its ability to dig that bit deeper. These include utility firms and private healthcare providers.

“We have taken our expertise in social research and applied it to these broader sectors because they are targeting the same kinds of people – whether that’s households or patients,” Richard said.

There are challenges ahead. The Brexit vote has created uncertainty – but Richard believes it also presents opportunities for the company.

“We are looking to expand our international operation,” he said. “We already work with agencies in Spain and France as their UK data collection partner, and we are actively looking for more global partnerships.”

Collaborations are another key to Qa’s continuing success. It worked with the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University, which led the homelessness project and provided academic input to the data collected by Qa.

Fittingly for a York-based company Qa also works with a number of leading lights in the tourism industry, including the National Trust, English Heritage and the national tourist board VisitEngland.

“Tourism has been a strong performer for us over the years, and continues to be so,” Richard said. “Post-Brexit we expect the tourism sector to grow and we are looking to capitalise on that.”

Before then, there’s a national awards ceremony to attend. What does he think these nominations say about Qa Research? “It says we have an ongoing commitment to innovative research methods and practice – while being very open to partnerships with other experts to deliver the best quality insights.

“That’s what we do – take a problem and work together to find the highest quality, research solution.”