Research and evaluation

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I have experience of evaluating projects and programmes, local and national, for community and voluntary organisations, national and local government. I have also developed a series of participatory exercises and tools – many of which are shared through training manuals and ‘how to’ guides.

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Research and evaluation roles:

• action research

• formative and summative evaluations at project and programme levels

• design and development of community based approaches to evaluation

• design and delivery of evaluation training courses

• qualitative and participatory review, assessment and evaluation

• case studies and information briefings

 

I believe that evaluation should be an empowering process, centred on learning from action and reflection. This involves enabling all those involved to shape the design of evaluation, and to understand what is working well and why, and what is not working as well as anticipated and why.  It should be a developmental activity that adds value throughout the life of a project or programme.

 

Examples of work include:

• Evaluations of national community based programmes e.g. Big Local, Community Organisers programmes, the JRF Neighbourhood Programme, Home Office ‘Guide Neighbourhoods’ programme

• Research to explore community responses to COVID-19 for Local Trust, 2020-22

• Evaluation of Natural Neighbours, a Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust project, 2019-2022

• Research to inform trusts and foundations e.g. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Baring Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation

• Support to organisations to develop their own evaluation processes and production of guidance (see publications)

• Evaluation training and facilitation for community practitioners and managers