In the last few years Scottish Government, funders and third sector organisations have been grappling with the idea of evaluating something that hasn’t happened!
“How does a funder fund something not to happen? How does a grant-holder report on what did not take place?!”
We know much of our work in the third sector is about preventing people’s situations from deteriorating but proving that is what we do can be tricky.
From our experience in helping third sector organisations working in a variety of fields we have developed a general guide and some specific resources…
Evaluating prevention resource
Evaluating prevention resource
This PowerPoint presentation fully explains how to evaluate prevention. It explores 5 steps to evaluating prevention.
This presentation explains the 5 steps to evaluating prevention.
Evaluating prevention covers definition, and why evaluate prevention, explores challenges and shows our approach with lessons we’ve learnt.
Thematic programmes on prevention
Breaking the Pattern: Practitioner Guide is to help groups, services and campaigners measure the impact of their work that challenges and changes attitudes and behaviours to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG) before it happens.
Reversing the Trend summary has tips for evaluating prevention in the field of youth workers preventing problem substance use by young people.
Measuring Outcomes Citizens Advice pack is full of ideas to explain, measure and evidence the difference advice makes
A Stitch in Time? – Reshaping Care for Older Peopleincludes examples of preventative spend by third sector interface Midlothian Voluntary Action in the Model document and Evaluation which contains a case study about a local lunch club.
Threading the Needle – Supporting health and social care commissioners to use third sector evidence to commission outcomes for health and social care.
The programme’s work in Fife was about helping befriending organisations show the difference befriending makes. More details in From source to the sea – understanding how befriending can help Fife Health & Social Care Partnership address its priorities
Some useful links to blog articles
The following blogs give specific perspectives on evaluating prevention from people working in third sector, as a funder or academic…
- The economics of prevention: ways of seeing it – Richard Brunner, What Works Scotland
- Focusing on prevention – Carolyn Sawyers, Big Lottery Fund Scotland
- The “Outcomes Focus” – Scottish Reflection – Colin Mair, Chief Executive of Improvement Service, published by Carnegie UK Trust
