Evaluating what works: launch of new guide

Steven Marwick is the founding Director of Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS).  He has overall responsibility for the strategic and operational management of the organisation.  He reports to the Board of Trustees and manages the staff team.  As well as leading the team to support the third sector to demonstrate the difference it makes, Steven has facilitated the Scotland Funders’ Forum to produce ‘Harmonising Reporting’ good practice (2010) on reporting on funding.  He works with Scottish Government to support the use of third sector evidence for public service reform. He chairs partnerships such as the Scottish Third Sector Research Forum.

Steven’s previous jobs include policy and research posts for the Community Fund lottery fund and for the Government. He is a Trustee of Eczema Outreach Support.  In the past he’s chaired Volunteer Centre Edinburgh, been on the board of Association of Chief Officers of Voluntary Organisations, chaired the What Works Scotland (WWS) Funders group and been a member of the Economic and Social Research Council’s evaluation committee.  Steven relaxes by swimming, running and going to concerts and operas (not all at the same time!).

Martha has worked in the third sector for over 30 years and has many years of experience working with people with disabilities. This includes her time at the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Research Unit at the University of Stirling where she was involved in the development of the communication aid Talking Mats™.  In 2002 Martha co-founded Pass IT On – an Edinburgh charity which adapts donated computers and gives them to people with disabilities – and is still involved on a voluntary basis.  She has also learned about being in the role of funder by sitting on the grants allocation panel for Shared Care Scotland’s Better Breaks fund.  For five years Martha was the Quality Officer with Befriending Networks, where she developed the Befriending Code of Practice and Quality in Befriending standard. Martha moved to ESS in 2013 and what she enjoys most is meeting people from organisations, large and small, in a range of different fields.

“I love the moment when I can see that evaluation has changed from being something dull that organisations have to do, to something which makes sense to them, is useful and even fun!”  

She has a special interest in helping projects explore how best to involve the people they work with in evaluation, for example by developing appropriate and accessible information collection methods or by inviting service users to become involved in the process of evaluation itself.