Monitoriong and Evaluation

MonitoringandEvaluation

Resource Pack6Federation for Community Development Learning

CommunityDevelopmentMonitoring andEvaluation

Written by

Val Harris

Resource Pack 6

Monitoring and Evaluation • Session OneFederation for Community Development Learning

b

With thanks to Dhara Thompson and Jeff Staniforth for providingsome of the materials for this Resource Pack

i

Monitoring and Evaluation • ContentsFederation for Community Development Learning

ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii–ivMatrix for students’ evidence: Levels 2 and 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v-viii

➙

Session 1 and 2 Day 1

■ Understanding monitoring andevaluation

Session plan 1 and 2

Session 1Detailed session plan 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Tutor Info Sheet: Domestic checklist . . . . . . 2Tutor Prompt Sheet 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Tutor Prompt Sheet 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Tutor Prompt Sheet 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Tutor Prompt Sheet 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Tutor Prompt Sheet 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Handout 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9Worksheet 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Handout 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Session 2Detailed session plan 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Tutor Prompt Sheet 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Handout 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Tutor Prompt Sheet 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Handout 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Tutor Prompt Sheet 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Reflective Journal 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-21


■ Different approaches to evaluation andmonitoring


Session 3Detailed session plan 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Tutor Prompt Sheet 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Handout 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-25Tutor Prompt Sheet 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Handout 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Handout 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-29Tutor Prompt Sheet 11 . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31Worksheet 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-33

Session 4

Detailed session plan 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Tutor Prompt Sheet 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Worksheet 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36-37Tutor Prompt Sheet 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Handout 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39-40Tutor Prompt Sheet 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Worksheet 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Reflective Journal 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43-46


■ Monitoring – techniques and issuesSession plan 5 and 6

Session 5Detailed session plan 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Tutor Prompt Sheet 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Handout 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Handout 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Worksheet 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Case Study 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Tutor Prompt Sheet 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Session 6Detailed session plan 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Tutor Prompt Sheet 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Handout 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56-59Tutor Prompt Sheet 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Case Study 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61-63Tutor Prompt Sheet 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Handout 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Reflective Journal 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66-69

ii

Monitoring and Evaluation • ContentsFederation for Community Development Learning

Tutor Prompt Sheet

1

Worksheet

4

Handout 2

Case Study 3 1Reflective

Journal


■ Techniques for engaging stakeholdersSession plan 7 and 8

Session 7Detailed session plan 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Tutor Prompt Sheet 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Worksheet 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72-73Handout 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74-75Handout 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Tutor Prompt Sheet 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Case Study 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Handout 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Worksheet 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80-81

Session 8Detailed session plan 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82Tutor Prompt Sheet 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Tutor Prompt Sheet 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Tutor Prompt Sheet 24 . . . . . . . . . . . 85-89Handout 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90-91Tutor Prompt Sheet 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Worksheet 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Reflective Journal 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94-97


■ Evaluating aspects of communitydevelopment


Session 9Detailed session plan 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98Tutor Prompt Sheet 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Handout 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Tutor Prompt Sheet 27 . . . . . . . . . 101-102Case Study 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103-104

Session 10Detailed session plan 10 . . . . . . . . . . . 105Tutor Prompt Sheet 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Reflective Journal 5 . . . . . . . . . . . 107-110


■ Making use of the resultsSession plan 11 and 12

Session 11Detailed session plan 11 . . . . . . . . . . . 111Tutor Prompt Sheet 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Worksheet 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Worksheet 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114-115Tutor Prompt Sheet 30 . . . . . . . . . 116-117Case Study 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118-119

Session 12Detailed session plan 12 . . . . . . . . . . . 120Tutor Prompt Sheet 31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Reflective Journal 6 . . . . . . . . . . . 122-125

Note

To aid your use of this material, pages intendedas Tutor Prompt Sheets, Worksheets, Handouts,Case Studies or Reflective Journals have beengiven an appropriate mark in the top right-handcorners, as shown below.

Community Development Monitoring and Evaluation • IntroductionFederation for Community Development Learning

Introduction

This resource pack has been created by FCDL as part of its ongoing commitment to develop and share community development learning practice. This pack is one in a series, which has been produced to support the National Open College Network programme and awards in Community Development Work. The units in these programmes were written to enable people active on Community Development Work to gain the skills and knowledge outlined in our National Occupational Standards. Each unit has a credit rating of three, equivalent to a notional thirty hours of learning. A full list of all the units and a list of associated resource packs can be found towards the end of this introduction.

Although this pack has been written primarily to provide the material for a unit within the OCN programme, the material can be used in many other ways and situations. It can be used and adapted for workshops, internal training, induction sessions, and for sessions designed for a specific organisation or group of people. Please do use the material and adapt it, and let us know how it works!

The pack is split into two-hour blocks of group-based teaching and learning, sufficient for twenty-four hours of participative learning time. This allows the training to be run with a crèche, or in evenings, and the blocks can be put together to make shorter or longer days, weekend and residential programmes. For each two hour session there is a detailed session plan, handouts, exercises, worksheets, and tutor prompt notes – everything that is needed to run this session.

We have used material from a wide range of sources and as we are producing material suitable for both level 2 and 3 some of the handout material is more geared towards the level three. If you are running a level 2 course then you may wish to ignore some of the handouts or adapt the way you use their content.

It is important that as you get to know the group so you contextualise the materials. Some of the information may need to be broken down to cater for different learning styles and levels of learning needs.

Trainer’s packs, by their very nature, provide material on a particular topic, which is aimed at people involved in community development. It is not possible in packs that are being released nationally to provide material that relates to all the local situations. It is the trainer’s responsibility to customise the material to their particular audience and contexts. The packs contain suggestions on where to find local material.



Notes about running accredited programmes

There are six learning outcomes in each of these units and we have allocated four hours of group work time to cover each learning outcome, so sessions 1 and 2 will cover the learning required by the first learning outcome, for example.

For each four hours there is a reflective journal sheet which, along with the worksheets, will enable students to provide the evidence to show they have met the assessment criteria for the learning outcome.

There are six hours of private study included in the thirty-hour programme, and this is intended to cover the writing of the reflective journal outside of the taught programme.

As the programme is being run to enable participants to achieve unit accreditation and/or to work towards a national certificate we feel it is important to enable participants to build up their portfolio as the programme progresses. They will need encouragement to complete their reflective journals after each four hours and to put in material to show they are meeting the assessment criteria. We have allowed time in the session plan for collecting in and handing back journals that have been read by the tutor, who has provided feedback to enable participants to improve their work.

As with any national resource pack, trainers will need to look at the material and relate it to the needs of the learning group, some of the case studies that have been suggested may need tweaking or the topics amending to suit their specific situation. We hope it is general enough to get the ideas flowing!

If you do create other material which you are willing to share please let us know and we can post it on our website or use in later editions of the packs.

The composition of the national OCN certificates:

1. Mandatory Units

Unit title Resource Pack Level 1 Level 2 Level 3Understanding Community Development Work

1. Understanding Community Development Work

Mandatory - -

Community Development Work Skills

2. Community Development Work Skills

Mandatory - -

Reflective Community Development Work Practice

8. Reflective Community Development Work Practice

Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory

Practice and Principles in Community Development Work

10. Practice and Principles in Community Development Work

- Mandatory Mandatory

Social Justice 11. Social Justice - Mandatory Mandatory

•

•

•

•

•

•



2. Optional Units

To obtain the level 1 award candidates take one optional unit, for level 2 they take 3 optional units and for level 3 they take 4 optional units. All of the following are available at levels 2 and 3 and are optional units within the NOCN certificates:

Unit title Resource PackCommunity group work skills 3. Group work skills

Involving people in community development 4. Involving people

Representing a community of interest or identity.

5. Representing your Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual community

Community development monitoring and evaluation

6. Monitoring and evaluation

Developing community organisations 7. Developing community organisations

Effective partnership working 9. Effective partnership working

Planning for community groups 12. Planning for community groups *

Publicity skills for community organisations 13. Publicity skills for community organisations *

Identifying needs in communities 14. Identifying needs in communities *

Funding and resources for community groups

15. Funding and resources for community groups *

Neighbourhood regeneration 16. Neighbourhood regeneration *

Community Development and Environmental Action

17. Community Development and Environmental Action *

Sustainable Communities 18. Sustainable Communities *

Engaging Communities – Improving Health Production under consideration

Health Inequalities Production under consideration

* These packs will be available soon from the Federation.Endorsement of the training

Training providers in England using this programme are encouraged to demonstrate their quality by applying for Endorsement from the England Standards Board for Community Development Work Training and Qualifications. These units have all been approved by the Standards Board and thus enable applications to be fast-tracked, as the content of the programme has already been endorsed.

For more information contact [email protected] or check out: www.englandstandardsboard.org.uk

Federation for Community Development Learning

March 2008

Community Development Monitoring and Evaluation

Level Two Credit Value Three Optional NOCN Unit Code EE32QQ018Level Three Credit Value Three Optional NOCN Unit Code EE33QQ040

Monitoring and Evaluation • Evidence MatrixFederation for Community Development Learning

vi

Evi

denc

e m

atri

x

Lear

ning

Out

com

eA

sses

smen

t cr

iter

iaEv

iden

ce N

umbe

rA

sses

sor

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erat

orTh

e le

arne

r ha

s ac

hiev

ed t

heou

tcom

e be

caus

e s/

he c

an:

1.1

Expl

ain

the

purp

ose

of m

onito

ring

1.2

Expl

ain

how

and

why

it is

diff

eren

tfro

m e

valu

atio

n

2.1

Desc

ribe

two

diffe

rent

app

roac

hes

to m

onito

ring

and

com

men

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r adv

anta

ges

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entif

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and

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es in

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3.1

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tify

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form

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ccur

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alua

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prec

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and

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Unit

title

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edit

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➙


vii

Evi

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atri

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4.1

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me

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Desc

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purp

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the

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sults

to th

ew

ider

com

mun

ity a

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leva

ntor

gani

satio

ns

Mon

itor

ing

and

Eval

uati

on

viii

Evi

denc

e m

atri

x

Lear

ning

Out

com

eA

sses

smen

t cr

iter

iaEv

iden

ce N

umbe

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sor

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arne

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an:

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Anal

yse

the

purp

ose

of m

onito

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1.2

Expl

ain,

with

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ffere

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dm

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app

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and

give

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thei

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ness

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issu

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Desc

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how

the

findi

ngs

can

bean

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ed to

ens

ure

accu

racy

,su

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and

rele

vanc

e

The

lear

ner

will

be

able

to:

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nder

stan

d th

e di

ffere

nce

betw

een

mon

itorin

g an

d ev

alua

tion

2.Ap

prec

iate

diff

eren

t app

roac

hes

tom

onito

ring

and

thei

r app

licat

ion

inco

mm

unity

dev

elop

men

t situ

atio

ns

3.U

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stan

d th

e ra

nge

of te

chni

ques

used

to g

athe

r,co

llate

and

eva

luat

eth

e in

form

atio

n co

llect

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y a

mon

itorin

g sy

stem

Unit

title

(s):

Mon

itor

ing

and

Eval

uati

onCr

edit

val

ue:

Thre

e Le

vel:

Thre

e


➙


ix

Evi

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4.1

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and

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in th

e de

sign

of a

n ef

fect

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eval

uatio

n

6.Ap

prec

iate

the

valu

e of

diss

emin

atin

g th

e re

sults

to th

ew

ider

com

mun

ity a

nd re

leva

ntor

gani

satio

ns

Mon

itor

ing

and

Eval

uati

on

Understandingmonitoring and evaluation

Session Plan 1 and 2

◆ Target audiencePeople involved in community activities and community development

◆ Length of session2 x 2-hour sessions; four hours in total

◆ Session aim(s)● To introduce people to the course and explore the roles of monitoring and evaluation

◆ Session outcomesAt the end of the session students/trainees will:

● Understand the difference between monitoring and evaluation

◆ Indicative content● Difference between monitoring and evaluation

● The purpose of monitoring and evaluation

● The processes involved in monitoring and evaluation

● Funders’ requirements

● Recognising the importance of monitoring and evaluation

● Change and monitoring and evaluation.

Understanding monitoring and evaluation



1

Det

aile

d Se

ssio

n P

lan

1

Tim

eCo

nten

tEx

erci

se/M

etho

dRe

sour

ces

Not

esco

re to

pic

or

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nal i

f tim

e

Nam

e la

bels

may

be

usef

ul if

the

grou

p do

not

kno

w e

ach

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r

Tuto

r inp

ut

Use

an

appr

opria

te n

ame

gam

e fo

rpa

rtic

ipan

ts to

intr

oduc

e th

emse

lves

Tuto

r inp

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Smal

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Tuto

r to

lead

who

le g

roup

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back

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ree

on li

st o

f gro

und

rule

s

In p

airs

to m

ake

two

lists

and

feed

back

to w

hole

gro

up.T

utor

tom

ake

lists

and

to re

spon

d to

issu

esbe

ing

rais

ed

Pairs

/trio

s to

com

e up

with

exa

mpl

esfro

m e

very

day

life

Smal

l gro

ups

to lo

ok a

t the

han

dout

of

diffe

rent

defi

nitio

ns a

nd to

use

the

wor

kshe

et to

reco

rd th

e po

ints

abo

utea

ch th

at th

ey fe

el a

re m

ost i

mpo

rtan

t

Tuto

r inf

orm

atio

n sh

eet;

dom

estic

and

heal

th a

nd s

afet

y ch

eckl

ist

Tuto

r Pro

mpt

She

et 1

OCN

form

s

Tuto

r Pro

mpt

She

et 2

Flip

cha

rt a

nd p

ens

Tuto

r Pro

mpt

She

et 3

Tuto

r Pro

mpt

She

et 4

Tuto

r Pro

mpt

She

et 5

Hand

out 1

Wor

kshe

et 1

Hand

out 2

Intr

oduc

tions

and

dom

estic

s

Intr

oduc

tory

gam

e

Aim

s of

the

cour

se a

nd O

pen

Colle

ge N

etw

ork

(OCN

)ac

cred

itatio

n

Gro

und

rule

s

Hope

s an

d fe

ars

Appr

ecia

ting

we

mon

itor a

ndev

alua

te in

our

dai

ly li

fe

Defin

ition

s of

mon

itorin

g an

dev

alua

tion

End

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.55

1.20

1.40

2.00

2


◆ Tell people about:

1. Fire exits and procedures; and if people leave early they should let tutors know so that theregister can be amended

2. Toilets

3. Break times and where refreshments are served

4. Smoking areas

◆ Give out any forms

◆ Remember to make a notice for the door.

Domestic checklist

Tutor Info Sheet

This course aims to introduce participants to the basic concepts and terminologyassociated with monitoring and evaluation. It will take a critical look at the topic andexplore how community groups can take control of the process and make it useful totheir on-going work.

The course will examine the different stages involved in designing and implementing monitoring andevaluation – from deciding what needs to be evaluated, through to determining who to involve, whattechniques to use, how to handle the information collected and how to share the results with others. Itis intended to be a practical course to give participants the skills and knowledge to be able to designand run their own evaluation.

You need to explain that this course can lead to Open College Network (OCN) accreditation at levels2/3 and that this means:

◆ That to some extent the syllabus is set so that people can meet the criteria for the award, so itmay not be possible to deviate too much from the main topics

◆ That people can choose what level they can present their work at. Level 2 expects people to beable to describe issues and problems and to suggest how they could be tackled. Level 3 asks foran analysis of situations and their roles within this aspect of community development work. Ifpeople are not clear about the levels it may help if you explain it is the difference betweenGCSEs and A levels

◆ Reflective journal questions will be available at both levels, and people need to complete themafter each 4 hours of group work and learning. You will give feedback on their work and maybehelp them decide which level is appropriate.

Aims of the course


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

1

Split the group into smaller groups and ask them to think about what ground rules theywould want for this course in order for them to get the most from the learning and toenable them to contribute to the course. Give each group a number of post-it notes andask them to write one thing on each.

When the buzz has died down call the group back together; ask for one post-it note and then ask forany more on the same lines. Put all the similar ones together. Clarify what is meant by each of themand get some group agreement on what is acceptable, especially around:

◆ Confidentiality – is it personal and organisational information that stays in the room?

◆ Anti-oppressive behaviour – what do we mean and who should be challenging and how?

◆ General statements like ‘respecting others’ opinions’ need to be discussed in relation to theother rules – do we have to listen to people’s views we find offensive and against the values ofcommunity development work?

Once you have taken all their points, say that you will summarise them at the next break and comeback with a list for them to agree upon, but that for now you would expect them to abide by the rulesthey have agreed.

You should conclude by making the link between this exercise and how ground rules can help peopleto feel safe when they first become involved. They provide a clear framework for behaviour so thatpeople know what is expected of them.

You may want to develop your own check list of what you want in the ground rules to protect yourselfand make sure that they are included in the final list. Some examples may be:

◆ We will keep to the start and finish times and the times set by the trainer

◆ All mobile phones to be switched off during the session (emergency tel no for the centre is xxx)

◆ We will respect each other and our different views. We will take care not to offend others by ourlanguage and/or behaviour

◆ We will listen carefully to each other and allow people to finish. We will try not to hog theconversation

◆ We will keep personal and organisational information confidential to the group

◆ We can ask for clarification about comments/instructions if necessary.

Ground rules


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

2

This is the first opportunity for people to express their interest and concerns about thecourse and for you to gauge the interests and the level of the course members.

Put people into pairs – at this stage it doesn’t matter if people know their partner, as some peoplemay feel more confident to stay with those they came with or know. Ask them to make two lists, thefirst of their hopes for this course, and the second of any concerns they may have.

In the feedback session ask the first pair to give one example of a hope. Write this on the flipchart andcheck if any other groups have the same. Ask the next pair for a different hope, and repeat the processuntil all the hopes are written on the flip chart. Summarise where you think you will be able to covertheir ideas – for example, using a range of methods, making it relevant to their community work.

Then repeat the process with their fears/concerns. You may want to answer these points as they arise,for example:

◆ You may not want to do role play but there may be times when it is helpful to practice our skillsin – say – getting our point across in a meeting. However, there will be opportunities forobserver roles and we won’t be putting people on the spot.

There may be some non-negotiable points:

◆ If you are going to miss more than 20% of the programme you will not be able to submit forthe award – sorry! But it did say that on the publicity …

◆ If you need to be contacted urgently because of your home situation then leave the phonenumber of the venue. The staff will pass a message through to you. Leaving your phone on willdisrupt the group and you may also be dealing with other phone calls, not just the one you arewaiting for.

And then there will be some concerns which you can agree to accommodate.

Hopes and fears


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

3

The aim of this exercise is to get people to realise that monitoring and evaluating isn’tsomething special but something we do all the time. We can adapt our existing skills tomonitoring and evaluating community development work.

Ask people to get into pairs or threes; their task is to think of one or two examples of where theymonitor and evaluate in their daily lives. You can give some examples:

◆ People watching how many cups of coffee they drink (monitoring) and what happens to them ifthey drink lots of cups of coffee (evaluating)

◆ Logging the amount of exercise they take during a week (monitoring) and the impact this has ontheir feeling of well-being and fitness (evaluation)

◆ Comparing prices of an article (monitoring) and deciding which to buy because of its quality,value for money, best for their purpose (evaluation).

This is quite a quick exercise so allow them 5 minutes to come up with an idea and then 10 minutesfor feedback from the groups. Log the examples and then reinforce the message that participants knowabout monitoring and evaluation.

Monitoring and evaluatingeveryday


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

4

Start by reminding participants that this course is about monitoring and evaluating communitydevelopment work and not just projects in the voluntary and community sectors. So it may be asmuch about processes and impacts on those taking part as well as what tasks may have beencompleted.

Ask participants to get into small groups; give out Handout 1 and Worksheet 1. Ask them to discussthe different definitions and to make their own notes on what they think are the key points aboutmonitoring and evaluation.

After the feedback, give out Handout 2 as a summary to monitoring and evaluating communitydevelopment work.

Definitions


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

5

The following are examples of how people define monitoring andevaluation.

MonitoringMonitoring is continually checking progress against your plan by routinely collecting information; forexample, how many people took part? This involves regularly checking the progress of an organisation,initiative, project or intervention against a plan, by collecting information. Monitoring is routine andongoing. Checking progress towards objectives… this includes finding out about the quality of theservice, comfort, friendliness, user satisfaction… (Salford CVS)

It simply means we are looking at what is happening. We may be counting the number of people whouse our services to see whether demand is increasing. We may be finding out who is using ourservices, what ethnic groups they come from or whether Disabled people access our services. We maybe looking around to see if we can order our supplies more cheaply. (Voluntary Action Sheffield)

Regular checking and recording the progress of the actual work compared to the plan. The systematiccollection and recording of information to help an organisation know how it is doing; it helps toaccount for the work of the organisation.

(Jackie Drysdale and Rod Purcell, ACW Community Work Skills Manual, 2001)

EvaluationEvaluation is about making an assessment of your work based on evidence about recording activities.This is judging an activity’s worth and considering it against the goals that the activity was meant toachieve. For example, in a project on community health, this means regularly asking what local peopleare getting out of meetings with healthcare workers. What were the outcomes of these meetings andhow did different people feel about them? (Salford CVS, The Evaluation Journey)

Evaluation is a process which tries to judge the worth of an activity or plan by measuring it againstspecific conditions and standards. Evaluation aims to answer agreed questions and to make ajudgement against specific criteria. (Salford CVS)

Once we have collected information about our services and the people using them, we usually makesome observations and come to some conclusions. We make judgements. We may judge that numbersusing our service are increasing because a recent publicity leaflet has worked, or because a nearbyservice has closed down, or because we have done something recently to improve the quality of whatwe provide. We are using our monitoring evidence to make a value judgement.

(Voluntary Action Sheffield web site)

Definitions


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Handout 1

➙

The means of systematically determining the extent to which a planned intervention or programmeachieves predetermined objectives. (Community Change Northern Ireland 2003)

Evaluation is more than monitoring; it makes judgements about the success or failure of a project/organisation in an informed way; it attempts to assess whether the objectives are being achieved. Itinvolves quality as well as quantity issues.

(Jackie Drysdale and Rod Purcell, ACW Community Work Skills Manual 2001)

Evaluation is about identifying the changes your community development activity is making to localpeople, the community, services, or policies and how you achieved these changes. Evaluation helpsyou to identify what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how you know if you are getting it right.To evaluate you need to look closely (critically) at your work, think about what is good and what couldbe improved, and determine how you could improve it.

(Community Development Cymru, Evaluating your community development activities)


9

The main points about monitoring that I feel are important

The main points about evaluation that I feel are important

Monitoring and evaluation –definitions


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Worksheet

1

By Jacky Drysdale and Rod Purcell; an extract from their articles in the ACW Community Work Skills Manual, 2001

Monitoring and evaluation in community development


11

Community development is about helping peopleto make positive change in the quality of theirlives. This process should involve people in theidentification of needs, exploring the solutions toproblems and evaluating the success of theseactivities. Monitoring and evaluation are thereforepart of the learning experience for individuals andgroups. It should be a continuing process that runsthrough any piece of work. It must not be seen asa one-off activity to be undertaken by experts atthe end of a funding cycle. Paid workers have arole to play in evaluation, but many local peoplecan also contribute to the evaluation of projects.

In keeping with the principles, values and definitionsof community development, evaluation should be aprocess that involves everyone concerned. Peoplewho have a legitimate interest or a stake in thework being undertaken by a community group,should have a say about what needs be evaluatedand how this might be achieved. These partnerscould include local people, service users, funders,local interest groups, workers and agencies.

Evaluation is always part of good communitydevelopment practice. The ability to clearly defineaims and objectives, and to measure theachievements (or gaps) against agreed criteria,enables people to have a greater impact on planningand a clearer direction for current and proposedwork. It also allows for the accountability required byfunders, local people and supporting agencies.Evaluation should not be viewed as a burden andadditional work, but as a useful planning aid for newwork, development and growth.

The quality of community development can bedetermined by looking at the processes which

empower individuals, groups and communities.What is produced by the work and the effects whichresult from the activities. In addition, in days whenBest Value and Value for Money are importantconsiderations for funders, it is necessary to be ableto identify the contributions available, in order toconsider the value for money of the activity.

By having a system in place that enables theseparts of the work to be measured, local peopleand professional workers can learn from eachother’s experience. This can further strengthenthe power base of community groups andindividuals, and promote sustainability, ratherthan a dependence on professionals.

Community development often just concentrateson demonstrating the process of communityempowerment, rather than taking a good look athow this is achieved in practice, and what theactual products and effects of work undertakenamount to. For community development to bereally effective it is essential to have specific aimsand objectives, and a clear outline of the skillsand knowledge that help to build a stronger andmore empowered community.

This means that community groups can be heldaccountable for achievable aims, measured inappropriate ways, rather than intangible gooddeeds and personal growth and political change.All too often, in top down evaluation thetechniques and indicators are picked by funderswith no knowledge of local conditions orexperiences. These indicators often have norelevance to the work being undertaken, andexclude local people because of complexconcepts or language.

Handout 2

Monitoring and Evaluation • Session TwoFederation for Community Development Learning

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The purpose of this exercise is to explore evaluation from the different perspectives offunders, the organisation, the staff/volunteers and the communities and users.

Divide the group into four smaller groups and assign one perspective to each group:

◆ Funders

◆ The organisation

◆ The staff/volunteers

◆ The communities and users.

Ask them to record what they thought the benefits of evaluation would be for them and any issuesthey would want to raise.

Expected answers can be found in Handout 3.

Take the feedback from each group and then summarise the overall purpose of evaluation as:

◆ Providing accountability

◆ An educational and learning process

◆ Building credibility

◆ Checking if the direction needs to change

◆ Sharing experiences

◆ Celebrating achievements

◆ Showing the strengths

◆ An aid to planning

◆ Showing if the effort was worth while and effective.

The purpose of evaluation


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

6

For funders◆ Ensures accountability of public and

charitable funds

◆ Highlights good practice worth promoting

◆ A way of judging a project’s merit througha systematic assessment

◆ Identifies any gaps in provision

◆ Allows it to set new targets

◆ Offers a basis for selecting betweenapplicants

◆ Informs decisions on continuing funding orre-funding

◆ Informs their own policy making

◆ Shows what difference its funding is making.

For organisations◆ Enables it to know if it is being successful

◆ Enables it to know the value of its work

◆ Ensures that resources are used appropriately

◆ Helps to clarify aims and objectives

◆ Provides evidence about the impact of thework

◆ Helps to set standards and provides qualitycontrol

◆ Uncovers unexpected consequences andachievements

◆ Allows it to set new targets

◆ Provides information for future planningand campaigning

◆ Helps support and validate newapproaches to tackling issues

◆ Helps to develop the organisation’s policies.

For staff and volunteers ◆ Provides an opportunity to stop and think

about the work

◆ Reflecting on their practice

◆ Provides information on the impact of theirwork

◆ Provides feedback on their performance

◆ Promotes insight, which precipitatesappropriate action

◆ Can allow them to challenge assumptions

◆ Confirms their impressions

◆ Suggests areas to develop

◆ Allows them to hear the views of others

◆ Helps to put their work in a wider context

◆ Enables them to decide what to dodifferently in future.

For communities and users ofservices◆ Shows the usefulness or limitation of any

service

◆ Provides information about necessary changes

◆ Provides an opportunity to be heard

◆ Develops the confidence of local people tobe actively involved in decision-makingprocesses

◆ Encourages different points of views to beheard so people can learn from each other

◆ Publicises gaps in services

◆ Provides an insight into whether communitiesreally have been involved or whether theprofessionals have made all the decisions

◆ To comment on effectiveness or otherwise

◆ To check if it is having the impact hoped for.

Different perspectives on evaluation


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Handout 3

There is a clear link between monitoring and evaluation. Monitoring is the collection andrecording of information on an on-going basis so that people can then carry out anevaluation.

The planning cycle (Handout 4) clearly shows how monitoring and evaluation is integral to all the workof a project. Starting with planning an activity or piece of work, then doing the activity or piece ofwork, then finding out what people thought about it, then reflecting and evaluating, then doing moreactivity or another piece of work and so on…

This reinforces the need for evaluation to be built into a piece of work from the beginning and notadded in as an after thought. Evaluation is a group’s main way of providing evidence of the success ofa project or post and learning from its operation.

Although monitoring and evaluation are distinct activities, different types of evaluation will requiremore or less monitoring activity. It is difficult to evaluate unless some monitoring data has alreadybeen collected. The more resources that go into monitoring the less you may need for evaluation. Thosepeople who have responsibility for evaluating your project should be involved in the design of themonitoring system at the outset of any piece of work.

The link between monitoringand evaluation


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

7

Planning and evaluation cyclefrom Evaluating your community development activities,Community Development Cymru 2003


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Handout 4

… Continue the cycle by doing it again

Find out what peoplethought about it

Revise the plan

Plan the activity

Start Here

Reflect and evaluate

Do moreactivity

Over the past few years the type of evaluation material demanded of the community andvoluntary sectors has been driven by external stakeholders such as funders, rather thanthose engaged in community development and related activities. The demand fromfunders and others for so-called objective and value-free evaluation, which they coulduse to pass judgement on the sectors, has distorted the process.

This has led to an over emphasis on statistics which do not tell the full story about theactivities being undertaken nor their impact on communities. This has led to a generaldislike of evaluation and it being seen as something that has to be done and got out ofthe way, instead of being something that is good community development practice andwhich empowers all those involved. Indeed, reflective practice is at the centre of thenational occupational standards for community development work.

This course aims to give people the tools to reclaim the evaluation agenda.

For a good analysis of the way that evaluation has developed historically see Re-claiming theEvaluation Agenda, Gersh Subhra, University of Derby (2004).

This exercise is designed to bring out the effects of this on people’s work and provides an opportunityto express their views about evaluation and monitoring. The issues raised can be addressed throughoutthe course.

Ask participants to work in small groups and to discuss the situation in their own organisations. Askthem to compile a list of problems and issues they face with monitoring and evaluation requirements.

After their feedback – summarise and say that some of the issues will be returned to as they worktowards reclaiming this agenda through the course.

The current situation


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

8

Give a brief description of the topics covered by the group work and highlight

your main areas of learning.

To be completed after each 4 hours of group work


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Reflective Journal 1

Name of participant

Name of Tutor/s

1

➙

What did you think and feel about the group? What did you contribute to the

group and its work?

Did you find anything difficult in the session and/or are there areas you would

like us to cover again?


19

2

3

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Portfolio question

You need to demonstrate an understanding of the differences between monitoring andevaluation.

For level 2, you should:

■ Explain the purpose of monitoring

■ Explain how and why it is different from evaluation.


■ Analyse the purpose of monitoring

■ Give examples to show you understand the difference between evaluation and monitoring.


20➙

Make notes of anything or thoughts that have occurred during the week which you

feel challenged you, or re-emphasised your beliefs/experiences.

Tutor’s comments

(Complete during the week)


21

Signature of participant

Signature of tutor/s Date

Differentapproaches toevaluation andmonitoring



◆ Length of session

2 x 2-hour sessions; four hours in total

◆ Session aim(s)● To explore different approaches to evaluation and monitoring and some of the key issues to be

considered


● Appreciate different perspectives on evaluation and monitoring and their application incommunity development situations

◆ Indicative content● Understanding the jargon

● Different approaches to monitoring

● Different requirements of funders and organisations

● Occupational standards relating to monitoring and evaluation roles of community developmentworkers

● Issues relating to data collection.

Different approaches to evaluation and monitoring


Monitoring and Evaluation • Session ThreeFederation for Community Development Learning

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The purpose of this exercise is to enable a shared understanding of the way that wordsare used and to allay fears about jargon.

Ask people to work in pairs, using post-it notes to write down all the jargon words they have heardabout evaluation and monitoring. Ask them to put one word/set of words on each post-it note.

Meanwhile you prepare a flip chart with two columns – the left hand column can be 1/3rd of the widthof the sheet and the right hand one 2/3rds.

After a few minutes start to collect in the post-it notes and group all the similar ones together downthe left hand column.

In the feedback, take each word/group of words in turn and see if there is any agreement within thegroup on a definition and note these down. Use Handout 5 as a prompt sheet for yourself.

When all the words have been explained and people are reasonably happy with them, give outHandout 5.

Understanding the jargon


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

9

BaselineRecording of the situation at the start of thepiece of work

DataInformation that is collected to show what hasbeen achieved

ContextThe environment in which the activity is takingplace. This can affect the success or failure ofyour project. The context can change over timeand this may affect your work, so this needs tobe recorded

EffectivenessMeasuring outputs of performance againsttargets set

EfficiencyThe ratio of the inputs to the outputs andoutcomes which involve not only costs but alsoissues of management, resources, structures,methods of working and procedures which needto be measured both quantitatively andqualitatively

EquityThis is equal opportunity in action; making surethat the work does not affect some people lessfavourably than others

EvaluationIs more than monitoring; it makes judgementsabout the success or failure of aproject/organisation in an informed way. Itattempts to assess whether the objectives arebeing achieved. It involves quality as well asquantity issues

InputsAll the resources used to plan and carry out apiece of work. Includes people and their skillsand knowledge, money, time and commitment toachieving change, equipment, facilities, buildingsand other resources

Measures and IndicatorsA way of measuring what has been achieved

MonitoringThe regular checking and recording of progress ofthe work compared to the plan. The systematiccollection and recording of information to helpan organisation know how it is doing. It helps toaccount for the work of the organisation

Outcomes (or Impacts)What happened as a result of the outputs, forexample, more people able to claim benefit, morepeople able to seek work, improved housingconditions, these are longer term results. They canbe intended – the things you planned to change– or unintended, things that happened althoughyou didn’t plan them. They may be positive ornegative, hard or soft. Hard outcomes are where

Jargon busting


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Handout 5

➙

it is easy to show that something has changed,such as numbers of houses improved. Softoutcomes are more about the processes, themore intangible aspects. One way to think ofthem is ‘the distance travelled’ – so increases ina person’s confidence, motivation and self-esteem, or a greater awareness of themselvesand others would all count as soft outcomes

OutputsReal things that have been achieved by the work,for example advice services provided, crèchefacilities organised, information presented as partof a campaign. What the organisation does –such as providing services, creating products,organising activities

Participatory Rural AppraisalAn approach to identifying community needsthrough research, education and collective action.It uses local knowledge in an interactive way,which involves constantly checking theinformation being gathered with local people. Itbelieves that local people should be fully involvedin the process, and should own the informationgathered

Performance Indicators These show if an organisation is being successfulin achieving its desired results. These indicatorsmay be quantitative (how many people use theservice), qualitative (what people thought of thequality), financial (what it cost), process (people’sexperience of using the service), outcome (whathappened as a result) and comparative (inrelation to other similar organisations).Performance indicators only work if there is astandard/target to measure against

ProcessesThis is the way in which inputs are applied toachieve the objectives of the work. For example,by encouraging community participation, buildingcontact between groups, developing plans withother agencies to improve their services

QualitativeApproaches to collecting information whichreflect people’s feelings and understanding

QuantitativeApproaches to collecting information which aremainly statistical

ReflectA particular style of training and research which:

◆ Explores and analyses the causes of powerin equalities and oppression

◆ Recognises that individual transformationis as important as collective transformation

◆ Sees gender equality as essential for socialtransformation

StakeholdersAll those affected by the activity – it can be arange of individuals and organisations.


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If your course participants are familiar with the national occupational standards for communitydevelopment work then you can just do a quick recap here. If they are not, you may need to explainthat community development is a recognised occupation and like all other occupations has developednational standards which define what people undertaking community development should be able todo. Full details of the current standards are available on www.fcdl.org.uk

Handout 6 lists the key roles that community workers undertake. Within every key role there is arequirement that each community development activity undertaken should be regularly monitored andreviewed. It is through these processes that we improve our work and ensure that it remains alive andresponsive to the changes in society and does not become fossilised.

Handout 7 gives the details of Key Role D which is all about monitoring and evaluation.

Community development work:national occupational standards


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

10

Develop working relationships with communities and

organisations

Encourage people to work with and learn from each other

Work with people in communities to plan for change and

take collective action

Work with people in communities to develop and use

frameworks for evaluation

Develop community organisations

Reflect and develop own practice and role.

Key roles of communitydevelopment work


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Handout 6

A

B

C

D

E

F

Supporting communities toidentify the purpose, criteriaand focus of monitoring

This requires a community development worker to:

✔ Establish the importance and purpose ofmonitoring and reviewing action forchange with people in communities

✔ Agree with people in communities whenthe monitoring and review should takeplace

✔ Help people in communities to establishthe focus of the review

✔ Provide support to help people incommunities to set the criteria formonitoring against agreed aims andobjectives.

Negotiating inclusive ways ofmonitoring action for change


✔ Support people in communities torecognise the value and importance ofdeveloping monitoring and reviewprocesses, which are inclusive andempowering

✔ Provide information and support toenable communities to select methodsfor monitoring collective action which areopen, inclusive and empowering

✔ Facilitate the development of a plan formonitoring collective action

✔ Support people in communities toidentify the resources to undertakemonitoring

✔ Help people in communities to work ininclusive ways and recognise theimplications for effective communitydevelopment work.

Community Development Work National Occupational Standards

Key Role D


28

Handout 7

1 2

D1 Support communities to monitor and review action for changeThis involves:

➙

Supporting communities tomonitor action for change


✔ Provide support to enable people incommunities to establish their chosenmonitoring methods and processes

✔ Support the development of systems forcollecting and collating information

✔ Establish the procedures for dealing withsensitive and/or confidential information

✔ Ensure that the information collected isverified for accuracy and relevance

✔ Maintain regular contact with all thoseinvolved in the monitoring processes.

Supporting communities toreview and use the outcomesfrom monitoring


✔ Enable the findings from monitoring tobe fed back into communitiesconstructively and democratically

✔ Support people in communities to reviewthe information gathered against agreedcriteria

✔ Help those involved to draw conclusionsfrom the review

✔ Support the identification of outcomes,learning and recommendations for futurework

✔ Ensure the communication of thefindings to all those involved

✔ Ensure an evaluation of the monitoringand review process is undertaken usingcommunity development work values andpractice principles.


29

43

Divide the course participants into three small groups. Give them the following scenario– use Worksheet 2.

ScenarioThey are working with a new community health project which aims to improve the health of threegroups within their community; these are:

◆ Young people

◆ Men

◆ Older people.

You can ascribe particular characteristics to these people to reflect the area and issues relevant tocourse participants, for example, young travellers, older Somali people, etc.

The aim of the project is to get the target groups to take more exercise and become more aware ofpotential health problems that affect their particular section of society. The project aims to do this bytraining up local people as health mentors to work with their own community. For example, youngpeople would go into schools, youth groups and youth centres as well as undertaking some detachedwork.

This project had received funding from the local PCT, the Big Lottery and the local healthy livinginitiative. The project is run by a steering group, composed mainly of local people with some healthprofessional involvement. They are the community development workers assigned to work with thissteering group.

Planning to evaluate andmonitor a new project


30

Tutor Prompt Sheet

11

➙

PartThe participants’ task is to work with the steeringgroup to decide what they would want toevaluate and monitor and how they might goabout it.

They need to think about the different parts ofthe project that could be evaluated andmonitored – for example the training and supportof the mentors, the different communities beingtargeted, the range of activities stimulated, etc.

Within this they need to consider the quality vsquantity approaches:

◆ Who they would want to involve – thestakeholders

◆ Evaluating and monitoring the process thathas been chosen.

Encourage them to use Handout 7 to remindthem of the community development approach tomonitoring and evaluation. Allow 25 minutes forthis exercise and ask them to record theirdecisions on a flip chart.

Part When they have completed this, give each groupone of the funders:

◆ Primary Care Trust (PCT – locally basedcentral government funded, with centralgovernment targets)

◆ National Lottery (regionally distributedmoney against regional priorities)

◆ Local healthy living initiative (a multi-agency initiative of all the main healthagencies in the district/borough receivinglocal funds and setting its own targets toreduce health inequalities).

Ask them to think about what they, as thisfunder, would want to see monitored andevaluated; what approach they would want tosee taken, who should be involved, etc.

Ask them to record their answers.


31

1 2

You are community development workers assigned to support a new community health project whichaims to improve the health of three groups within your community; these are:

◆ Young people

◆ Men

◆ Older people.

The aim is to get them to take more exercise and become more aware of potential health problemsthat affect their particular section of society. The project aims to do this by training up local people ashealth mentors to work with their own community. For example, young people would go into schools,youth groups and youth centres as well as undertaking some detached work.

This project has received funding from the local Primary Care Trust (PCT), the National Lottery and thelocal healthy living initiative. The project is run by a steering group, composed mainly of local peoplewith some health professional involvement.

Part Your task is to work with the steering group and support them to decide what they would want toevaluate and monitor and how they might go about it.

You need to think about the different parts of the project that could be evaluated and monitored – forexample the training and support of the mentors, the different communities being targeted, the rangeof activities stimulated, etc.

Within this you need to consider the quality vs quantity approaches:

◆ Who they would want to involve – the stakeholders.

◆ Evaluating and monitoring the process that has been chosen.

You have 25 minutes for this exercise and should record your decisions on a flip chart.

Scenario – community health project


32

Worksheet

2

1

➙

You can record your thoughts here

PartWhen you have completed this you will be given one of the funders and asked to think about whatyou, as this funder, would want to see monitored and what approach you would want to see taken,who should be involved, etc.

Again, record your answers.

You can record your thoughts here


33

2

Monitoring and Evaluation • Session FourFederation for Community Development Learning

34

Det

aile

d Se

ssio

n P

lan

4

Tim

eCo

nten

tEx

erci

se/M

etho

dRe

sour

ces

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esco

re to

pic

or

optio

nal i

f tim

e

Each

gro

up to

feed

back

the

first

par

tof

the

exer

cise

.Tut

or to

sum

mar

ise

sim

ilarit

ies

and

diffe

renc

es in

appr

oach

es

Each

‘fun

der’

to fe

edba

ck.

Gro

up to

dis

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diff

eren

ces

betw

een

fund

ers

and

betw

een

thei

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t

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to th

ink

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rais

ed b

y th

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to w

ork

on s

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rio re

lesb

ian,

gay

and

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xual

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g.Fe

edba

ck

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rn a

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arke

d Re

flect

ive

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nals

and

give

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gen

eral

feed

back

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et 1

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orks

heet

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back

on

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ario

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rt 1

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back

on

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ario

,pa

rt 2

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es to

be

cons

ider

ed in

gath

erin

g in

form

atio

n

Confi

dent

ialit

y an

d se

nsiti

vein

form

atio

n

Endi

ng a

ctiv

ities

End

0.00

0.10

0.30

1.00

1.15

1.50

2.00

The main points to draw from this feedback is that the different agendas and ways of working will affectwhat the funders are looking for. So the PCT will be looking to show it is meeting national targets, forexample on obesity in young people, preventing heart disease in men, getting older people to take up flujabs or whatever are the current government targets. The National Lottery may be interested to know whohas been brought into the scheme, for example Disabled people, Black and Minority Ethnic communities,asylum seeking communities, whoever are their target groups at the time. The healthy living initiative mayhave local targets of reducing drug use, improving diet, increasing the amount of exercise taken.

Each of the funders may have taken a different approach to evaluation and monitoring,they may focus on:

◆ Activities/outputs

◆ The numbers involved

◆ The impact/outcomes

◆ Checking against the objectives

◆ Quantitative data

◆ Qualitative information.

The impact of this for the steering group is how they can reconcile the approach they want to take, whichis to meet local needs and involve local people in setting the criteria for their evaluation and monitoring,with the predetermined agenda of the different funders, all of whom want different information.

It is possible for the steering group to begin to take some control by negotiating with the differentfunders about what information they can collect and the way that it can be presented. So that thegroup doesn’t end up spending all their time doing monitoring returns.

One of the learning outcomes for this session requires people to understand the different approaches thatcan be taken to monitoring and evaluation and their pros and cons. Highlight the different approaches thathave arisen from the feedback and ask pairs/trios to come up with the pros and cons for one of them.

The different approaches that might have come up:

◆ To measure progress against the objectives of the programme

◆ To assess achievements

◆ To identify the strengths and weaknesses of the programme

◆ To examine effectiveness – what difference has it made?

◆ To assess the cost benefit – the value for money aspects

◆ To examine how to plan and manage the programme better in the future

◆ To share learning with others about what worked and what didn’t

◆ To meet the needs of the targeted and wide communities better in the future.

Worksheet 3 can be used for this purpose.

Different approaches toevaluating and monitoring


35

Tutor Prompt Sheet

12

App

roac

hPr

osCo

ns

To m

easu

re p

rogr

ess

agai

nst t

heob

ject

ives

of t

he p

rogr

amm

e

To a

sses

s ac

hiev

emen

ts

To id

entif

y th

e st

reng

ths

and

wea

knes

ses

of th

e pr

ogra

mm

e

To e

xam

ine

effe

ctiv

enes

s –

wha

tdi

ffere

nce

has

it m

ade?

To a

sses

s th

e co

st b

enefi

t – th

e va

lue

for

mon

ey a

spec

ts

Different approaches tomonitoring and evaluation


36

Worksheet

3

➙

To e

xam

ine

how

to p

lan

and

man

age

the

prog

ram

me

bette

r in

the

futu

re

To s

hare

lear

ning

with

oth

ers

abou

t wha

t wor

ked

and

wha

tdi

dn’t

To m

eet t

he n

eeds

of t

he ta

rget

ed a

nd w

ide

com

mun

ities

bette

r in

the

futu

re

Add

in a

ny o

ther

app

roac

hes


37

Using Handout 8 explain about the different kinds of data that can be gathered and thedifference between those who want ‘objective’ data and those who see the value of‘subjective’ data. Explain the value of listening to people’s stories as one way that wecan improve our work in communities. Summarise some of the issues about gatheringpersonal data and the requirements of the Data Protection Act.

Ask course participants to turn to a couple of people near to them and to quickly think about what arethe issues that would arise from the case study they have been working on. Call the whole group backtogether after a few minutes and log their responses. Give out Handout 8.

Data gathering issues


38

Tutor Prompt Sheet

13

Qualitative and quantitative data collection


39

Handout 8

Qualitative – is all about how people perceive the project or the service, and their views canprovide key insights into its effectiveness. This can involve the views of communities on the receivingend of community development activities, users of services, staff, volunteers, funders and otherstakeholders.

This information may be obtained through questionnaires, diaries, suggestion slips – all forms ofwritten words. Verbal methods can include interviews, focus groups and video diaries.

Quantitative – is all about the facts and figures, and much of this kind of data may already existif the project has been running for a while. This can include financial information, numbers involved inthe project, members, staff and volunteers, number and range of activities organised. Sometimessystems have to be designed to collect specific data relating to your objectives, such as the take up ofa service, or how long it took to complete a piece of work.

There is a tendency for people to want objective data, so that funders and others can compare oneproject against another and to make simplistic judgements. Communities are complex and messy andthis needs to be reflected in our monitoring if we are really to be able to learn how to improve ourresponse to real-life situations. There is a real value in subjective data as that helps us to see thingsthrough different people’s eyes and to be able to listen and to learn from these different perceptions.Otherwise we risk repeating the same mistakes and wonder why people don’t come along or respond.

People’s stories are also the most interesting part of any report and often can highlight the value ofa project or activity far more than figures can. We respond to other people’s stories and these storiescan show the complexity of what is happening to people. They can also throw up surprises, theunexpected and the unusual, from which we can learn. We need to find ways to capture this kind ofinformation.

When we are collecting and recording personal information we need to take account of the DataProtection Act 1998. The Act defines sensitive data as information about:

◆ Racial or ethnic origins

◆ Political opinions

◆ Religious or other beliefs

◆ Membership of a trade union

◆ Physical or mental health

◆ Sexual life

◆ Criminal offences.

➙

If your organisation gathers such information then you would need to think carefully about how youprocess such sensitive data. If you collect equal opportunities forms as part of your selection andrecruitment process then they need to be separated out from the application forms and not used in theselection process.

The Act allows researchers to collect information and to store it and use it, provided that it is not usedto make decisions about individuals and that it will not be used in any way that substantial damage ordistress will be caused to an individual. The results of any research should not be made public in a waythat identifies the subjects without their consent. Material that is gathered purely for research can bekept indefinitely.

If you have any queries you can check them out with the Information Commissioner Helpline 01625545 745, www.dataprotection.gov.uk or look on the DTI web site www.dti.gov.uk


40

Worksheet 4 provides the basis for thisdiscussion in small groups.

There is no legal requirement for organisations tokeep information on how staff or user groups aremade up (gender, ethnicity, age, disability, etc.).However, it is becoming increasingly common aspart of good practice to monitor what is happeningas a way of ensuring the success of equality policies.

Monitoring for sexual orientation raises issues asthere are a variety of opinions amongstorganisations and within Lesbian, Gay andBisexual (LGB) communities about monitoring. TheEmployment Opportunities (sexual orientation)legislation passed in December 2003 is likely tolead to an increase in monitoring.

This legislation defines a ‘sexual orientationtowards people of the same sex, persons of theopposite sex, or to both persons of the same sexand of the opposite sex’. It prohibits direct andindirect discrimination:

◆ Direct discrimination occurs when aperson is treated less favourably thananother on the grounds of sexual orientation

◆ Indirect discrimination occurs where aprovision, criterion or practice which isapplied generally, puts people of a particularsexual orientation at a disadvantage andcannot be shown to be a proportionatemeans of achieving a legitimate aim.

(Taken from the explanatory notes to the regulations provided by HMSO.)

These regulations apply to employment andvocational training – that means to all employers,training agencies, Further Education and HigherEducation institutions as well as all civil servantsand government agencies.

It is within this context that the scenario is set –see Worksheet 4.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual network in the districthave been campaigning to make sure thatLesbian, Gay and Bisexual people get access toappropriate health care. They have managed to getthe main health agencies to agree to monitor theuptake of services and to evaluate the relevanceand friendliness of the services provided. ThePrimary Care Trust and the healthy living initiativehas made this a condition of their funding.

Course participants should work in smallergroups and act themselves into the role ofthe steering group and discuss theirreactions and response to this.

The key issue here is that while monitoring can bethe first step in improving access to services and inensuring responsive services are provided, there areissues that need to be thought through. There islittle point in collecting information that will not beused and so any information gathered needs to beused to inform future practice – both of this projectand of the funders’ services. This means that theinformation gathered has to be used carefully,because not everyone will be willing to give suchpersonal information, or will need assurances aboutconfidentiality and anonymity. Thus, suchinformation should be gathered from everyoneinvolved and in a way that allows it to be separatedfrom other information that could identify anyone.

This has implications for the way that informationis gathered, the training and awareness raising ofany community researchers, the way that thedata is collated and stored.

Monitoring sexual orientation


41

Tutor Prompt Sheet

14

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual network in the district have been campaigning to make sure that Lesbian,Gay and Bisexual people get access to appropriate health care. They have managed to get the mainhealth agencies to agree to monitor the uptake of services and to evaluate the relevance andfriendliness of the services provided. The Primary Care Trust and the healthy living initiative has madethis a condition of their funding.

As a steering group you need to discuss your reaction and response to this. What are the issues itraises about how you would gather this information about a person’s sexual orientation – how couldyou gather this, where, when, by whom? What would you do with this information?

Gathering sensitive information


42

Worksheet

4





43


Name of participant

Name of Tutor/s

1

➙


group and its work?




44

2

3

➙

Portfolio question

You need to demonstrate an appreciation of the different approaches to monitoring andtheir application in community development situations.


■ Describe two different approaches to monitoring and comment on their advantages anddisadvantages

■ Identify the confidentiality and equality issues that will arise when planning and undertakingmonitoring.


■ Describe the range of approaches to monitoring and their appropriateness in different situations –do this by giving examples from your work or the course work

■ Explain and analyse the issues relating to confidentiality and equality which will arise whenplanning and undertaking monitoring.


45➙



Tutor’s comments



46



Monitoring –techniques and issues





◆ Session aim(s)● To explore the techniques and issues involved in monitoring


● Understand the range of techniques use to gather, collate and evaluate the informationcollected by a monitoring system

◆ Indicative content● Techniques for gathering information

● Issues for collation and analysis of information

● Designing a system for monitoring

● Getting ready to monitor.

Monitoring – techniques and issues


Monitoring and Evaluation • Session FiveFederation for Community Development Learning

47

Det

aile

d Se

ssio

n P

lan

5

Tim

eCo

nten

tEx

erci

se/M

etho

dRe

sour

ces

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re to

pic

or

optio

nal i

f tim

e

Any

suita

ble

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cise

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ct a

ny R

eflec

tive

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nals

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vidu

al w

ork

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/trio

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k w

ith w

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End

0.00

0.10

0.15

0.45

1.10

1.35

2.00

Give each person a large sheet of paper (half of a flip chart would be fine) and ask themto think about what information their organisation already collects which it uses formonitoring purposes. If there is space get people to sit around tables so they can sparkeach other’s memories of what their organisation does.

As they run out of ideas encourage them to pin their sheets up on the walls and bring the group backtogether. Ask each person to highlight one technique they use. Go round until all the ideas have beenmentioned and you have summarised all of them into one list.

Handout 9 provides a list of common techniques.

Refer to the Handout 8 used last week to discuss quantitative and qualitative data and recap ondifferences.

Give out Handout 10 and Worksheet 5. Explain Handout 10 and then ask people to work in triosand complete Worksheet 5.

Techniques for gatheringinformation for monitoring


48

Tutor Prompt Sheet

15

◆ Checklists

◆ Telephone/caller logs

◆ Signing in sheets

◆ Surveys

◆ Opinion polls

◆ Case studies

◆ Oral histories

◆ Diaries/logs of workers/volunteers

◆ Unit costs (costs of activities)

◆ Counting

◆ Visual material – photos, drawings, videos

◆ Comparisons with similar projects

◆ Comparisons between different ways ofworking

◆ Cost comparisons with different projects/activities/over-time

◆ Group interviews

◆ Discussions groups

◆ Self-rating questionnaires

◆ Focus groups

◆ User panels

◆ Telephone interviews

◆ Face-to-face interviews

◆ Quality circles

◆ Statistical analysis

◆ Structured interviews

◆ Semi-structured and open interviews

◆ Organisational reviews

◆ Organisational health checks

◆ Observations – individuals/groups

◆ Story telling

◆ Document/record analysis

◆ Time logs

◆ Observation using checklists

◆ Questionnaires – open-ended

◆ Questionnaires – structured/multi-choice

◆ Reports on work

◆ Supervision notes

◆ Reports on particular activity,for example, the recruitment ofstaff/volunteers

◆ Funding applications

◆ Business plans

◆ Minutes of meetings.

Techniques for gatheringmonitoring data – some examples


49

Handout 9

Method Quantitative Qualitative Advantages Disadvantages

Record keeping ✔✔✔✔✔ ❏

Participant ✔✔✔✔ ❏ ✔ ❏

observation

Self-administered ✔✔✔ ❏ ✔✔ ❏

questionnaire

Individual ✔✔ ❏ ✔✔✔ ❏

interviews,face-to-face or by phone

Group ✔ ❏ ✔✔✔✔ ❏

discussion

Quantitative and qualitative


50

Handout 10

Structured andreadily available;produces datawhich can be easilyanalysed

Examines actualbehaviour ratherthan subject’sviews about theirbehaviour

Cheaper thaninterviews, allowingfor a larger sample;if well designed,results are easy toanalyse

Structuredquestions can yieldquantitative data(yes/no or scores),but there is enoughflexibility to probeand clarify

May draw outshared ‘negative’views; offers a wayfor those with poorliteracy tocontribute

Feelings, impressionsand ideas may not bepicked up; data maybe insufficient toanswer key questions

Requires high level ofobserver skill; dangerof observer bias;observation may affectthe subject’s behaviour

Less flexible thaninterviews; subjectsneed literacy skills;may have poorresponse rate

Time consuming;interviewers must beskilled and acceptableto subject; analysis ofnotes can be difficult

Needs a facilitatorand a note-taker; afew speakers candominate; unsuitablefor probing individualinterviews

Choose a few of the different kinds of monitoring techniques from the flip chart list and fill in each ofthe boxes below, use Handout 10 as a guide

Different techniques formonitoring


51

Method Quantitative Qualitative Advantages Disadvantages

Worksheet

5

The scheme currently records the following information:

◆ Journeys undertaken

◆ Mileage

◆ Passengers carried

◆ Vehicle costs

◆ Petrol used

◆ Volunteer involvement

◆ Staffing costs

◆ Punctuality

◆ Safety

◆ Breakdown of passengers by age, race, disability, gender, etc.

It wants to monitors its progress towards an objective which is to provide transport to local peoplewith poor access to suitable public transport and no transport of their own, and so improve their socialintegration.

How could it use its existing information to monitor its work?

What other monitoring information would you recommend it collects?

Monitoring a small communitytransport scheme


52

Case Study 1

The aim of this session is to consider how the choice of techniques for gatheringmonitoring data will impact on how you can collate and analyse the information.

One of the most obvious is whether the material has been produced manually, for example, telephonelogs completed by staff and volunteers held in a ring binder, or automatically collated on a computer.Also worker’s log sheets which tally up the amount of time spent on their different activities as theyare inputted by the worker each week.

Select a range of techniques from Handout 9, or the checklist produced by the group in the firstexercise. Write them on the left-hand side of a flip chart leaving spaces between them. Taking each onein turn ask the group for examples of the kind of information that they know exists and how it iscurrently stored. Record this on the flip chart next to the technique.

Then discuss what the implications of this might be for them if they had to collate and analyse thisinformation. Some of the issues you would want to raise include:

◆ Time implications (how long will it take to collate and summarise this information?)

◆ Reliability (will some people have recorded differently than others, is there an agreement onwhat priority levels mean, etc?)

◆ Accuracy (is the information likely to be accurate; is the information likely to be complete orpartial; will some people have recorded more fully than others, how can you check this out?)

◆ Confidentiality (can the information be anonymised; will people be able to recognisethemselves?)

◆ Interpretation (can anyone understand the data; or does it need interpreting by those whocollected it?)

◆ Are there easier ways to get the same information?

◆ Is the information actually relevant? What will it contribute to the monitoring purpose?

Impact on collation andanalysis of information


53

Tutor Prompt Sheet

16

Monitoring and Evaluation • Session SixFederation for Community Development Learning

54

0.00

0.10

0.20

1.40

1.50

2.00

Det

aile

d Se

ssio

n P

lan

6

Tim

eCo

nten

tEx

erci

se/M

etho

dRe

sour

ces

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re to

pic

or

optio

nal i

f tim

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Tuto

r inp

ut

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stu

dy w

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l gro

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Feed

back

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roup

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Give out Handout 11 as an example of how an evaluation within community development can beplanned and undertaken. It is just one example and it focuses on evaluating against the declaredobjectives of a project. It shows the clear linkages between project objectives, planned outputs andplanned outcomes (refer back to the jargon sheet if necessary). It introduces the idea of setting out theindicators at the beginning, so we can see what kind of information we need to collect to check ouroutputs.

A worked example


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

17

IntroductionThis is a simple case study of a local communityhealth project. It shows how the evaluation ofthe project can be developed through answeringa number of specific questions.

Who has an interest in themonitoring and evaluation ofthe project?Interested parties in an evaluation of the work ofthe community health project included thefollowing:

◆ Local people

◆ Members of the community health group

◆ Health Board/Trusts: in particular GPs,health promotion and health visitors

◆ Local Authority: especially officers fromSocial Services, Leisure Services andEducation

◆ Local elected member

◆ Men’s health group

◆ Well women’s group

◆ Schools

◆ Police.

It is important to rank these interests into thosewho have a direct involvement in the planning ofthe evaluation and those with a lesser interest.The latter group may wish to see the results ofthe evaluation, but are unlikely to want, or need,to be directly involved. This will ensure that allinterests, consumers, funders, etc., have theirinterests included in the evaluation process. This

makes it more difficult for organisations todistance themselves from the results of theevaluation at a later date.

In this case a planning group was formed, whichincluded project management committeemembers, project staff, a worker from healthpromotion and a representative from the SocialServices.

What is to be monitored andevaluated?The planning group worked through the processof:

Aims ➮ Objectives ➮ Output/Outcomes

➮ Indicators ➮ Data

One of the aims of the health project was theimprovement of children’s health.

As part of good community planning, the projecthas identified a number of objectives that breakup the aim into manageable parts. Theobjectives are:

To provide exercise for local children

To encourage schools to removeconfectionery from the tuck shop andreplace with fruit snacks

To promote breast feeding support groupsfor new mothers

To monitor environmental issues affectingchildren’s health, especially in respect ofroad safety.

Case studyJacky Drysdale and Rod Purcell


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Handout 11

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How do we monitor theseobjectives?As described above, we need to link theobjectives of the project to the outcomes andoutputs.

The selection of objectives need to:

◆ Be relevant to the core activity of theproject

◆ Reflect the principles of communitydevelopment outlined above, i.e.

❖ Personal empowerment

❖ Positive action

❖ Building community organisations

❖ Power relationships

❖ Participation.

See Table 1

How do we measure the successof the outputs and outcomes?It is necessary to identify a range of indicatorswe can use to tell us what the outputs andoutcomes have contributed to the community.Table 2 shows how indicators can be used toillustrate the effectiveness of outputs. A similarprocess can be used to provide indicators foroutcomes. Qualitative indicators are shown inbold. Quantitative indicators are shown inplain text. All the information detailed in thetables was collected by local people.

When should monitoring andevaluation take place?The plan for the evaluation was drawn up duringthe first year of the project, once the objectiveshad become clear. The baseline information wascollected about five months later. Because theproject now had defined outputs, outcomes,indicators, identified sources of data and baselineinformation, it was possible to undertake shortmonitoring exercises every year. This annualmonitoring allowed the project to check if itswork was on course to meet its objectives andidentify difficulties.

Towards the end of the five-year funding cyclethe project was able to undertake a fullevaluation of its work. As the baseline andannual monitoring information had already beencollected, the evaluation exercise was a simpletask.

What do we do with thisinformation?The report was printed and sent to everyoneidentified at the initial meeting. In addition, thecommunity health group used selected results ofthis evaluation in a number of ways. This includedfuture planning work within the group, fundingapplications, and for recruitment and advertisingpurposes.


57➙

Project objectives Planned outputs Planned outcomes

1. To provide exercise forlocal children

2. To encourage schools toremove confectionery from the tuck shop and replace with fruit snacks

3. To promote breast feedingsupport groups for newmothers

4. To monitor environmentalissues affecting children’shealth; especially in respectof road safety

Table 1: Monitoring and evaluating the objectives


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a. Swimming club three nightsper week

b. Junior football team onenight per week

c. After school clubdeveloping a sportsprogramme

a. Providing information toschools on low fat/sugaralternative foods

b. Arranging fruit delivery toschools

a. Providing breast feedingsupport in hospital

b. Ensure breast feedinginformation is availableduring ante-natalappointments

c. Breast feeding supportgroup information at post-natal checks

a. Campaign to reduce trafficspeeds past schools

b. Monitoring accident ratesfor road traffic accidentsinvolving children

a. Fitter children

a. Improved diet

a. Improved health of babies

a. Safer roads

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Outputs Indicator Source of Information

◆ Swimming club threenights per week

◆ Junior football team onenight per week

◆ After school clubdeveloping a sportsprogramme

◆ Providing information toschools on low fat/sugaralternative foods

◆ Arranging fruit delivery toschools

◆ Providing breast feedingsupport in hospital

◆ Ensure breast feeding ◆ Information available

during ante-natalappointments

◆ Breast feeding supportgroup information at post-natal checks

◆ Campaign to reduce trafficspeeds past schools

◆ Monitoring accident ratesfor RTAs (road trafficaccidents) involvingchildren

Table 2: Measuring the effectiveness of outputs


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a. Number of childrenattending the swimming clubover a three month period

b. Number of childrenattending the football clubover a three month period

c. Number of childrenparticipating in after schoolclub sports activity

d. Children’s comments ontheir sporting activity

a. Changes in sales of sweetsand crisps

b. Changes in sales of fruitand healthy snacks

c. Children’s comments ontheir buying habits

a. Changes in number ofmothers breast feeding forat least six months

b. Mothers’ comments onthe value of breastfeeding their children

c. Mothers’ commentingon the usefulness ofinformation provided

a. Activities undertaken by thegroup

b. Attitudes of relevantofficials to road safetyissues

c. Dissemination of collectedstatistics

a. Club records

b. Club records

c. Club records

d. Interviews with children

a. Shop records

b. Shop records

c. Questionnaire to children

a. Statistics from health visitors

b. Interviews with mothers

c. Focus group with mothers

a. Group minutes

b. Interviews with selectedofficials

c. Group minutes

Case study 2 is a role play; if your course is fairly small then you can divide participantsequally into groups A and B, if the group is larger, split them in half and then split eachhalf into 2 groups – A and B.

Give out the relevant case study sheet to the groups and ask them to prepare to meet the other group.They need to agree the roles they will take as part of this scenario and what questions they want toask of each other.

They should be prepared to report back using a similar style to that in the worked example and then tofeedback on other discussion points.

Remind them that performance indicators are simply specific measures which can be used in a plannedway to record an aspect of performance.

An example about community empowerment that is relevant to this case study is:

Objective Indicated by Collection methods

To increase the effectiveinfluence by communityorganisations on public policy and practice

Some of the less obvious issues that you want to see them include:

◆ Involvement of users

◆ Monitoring of the worker

◆ Relationships with other agencies

◆ Impact of their work.

You may need to prompt them to look at these as you check on the group’s progress.

Designing a monitoring system


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

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◆ Evidence that localpeople’s views arereflected in public debate

◆ Evidence that localpeople’s views are actedupon

◆ Changes in attitudetowards communityorganisations by powerholders.

◆ Policy documents

◆ Existing agency records

◆ Community group records

◆ Focus groups

◆ Questionnaires

◆ Interviews

◆ Observations.

Group A You are a team of community developmentworkers who have been tasked by the localCouncil for Voluntary Service (CVS) to help theSouthdown Seniors’ Forum to design amonitoring process. Southdown Seniors’ Forumaims to enable local pensioners to come togetherto represent their views and needs to thoseproviding them with statutory and other services.It does this by holding a monthly meeting andoffering a wide range of social activities open toall local pensioners. It has informal contact withstatutory and voluntary organisations providingservices to older people. They currently have noformal system of monitoring their users. Theyhave recently employed a development worker toinvolve more older people in their activities andto make sure the Forum is able to represent theviews of all older people in the town to therelevant bodies.

Your task is to work with the group to enablethem to decide what they want to monitor, whatinformation to collect and how it will berecorded.

You have been told they just wanted somethingsimple to keep the funders happy. However, youwant to promote good practice in monitoring andevaluation as a management tool, in line withyour remit of promoting good practice withincommunity groups.

You use a standard proforma when working onthis topic with groups which includes:

◆ What is the focus of the monitoring andevaluation process?

◆ How will they set the aims of theirevaluation and monitoring processes?

◆ What information do they need to collect?

◆ What information do they have already?

◆ How will they get any additionalinformation?

◆ Who will be involved in collecting andcollating the information?

◆ How will they record all the data theycollect?

◆ How will they check that it is accurate?

◆ How will they know if the information isreliable?

◆ What are the equality issues they need toaddress?

Designing a monitoring system


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Case Study 2

➙

Group BYou are management committee members ofSouthdown Seniors’ Forum. Southdown Seniors’Forum aims to enable local pensioners to cometogether to represent their views and needs tothose providing them with statutory and otherservices. It does this by holding a monthlymeeting and offering a wide range of socialactivities open to all local pensioners. You haveinformal contact with statutory and voluntaryorganisations providing services to older peopleYou have recently employed a developmentworker to involve more older people in youractivities and to make sure the Forum is able torepresent the views of all older people in thetown to the relevant bodies.

You have been told by your funders that to getany more funding you will need to providedetailed reports about who uses your services,and to report on the progress of your worker.They are particularly interested in numbers,gender, ethnicity and age band. The local Councilfor Voluntary Service has arranged for a group ofcommunity development workers to meet withyou to help you decide on a monitoring systemwhich will provide you with this information infuture.

Your task is to meet the community developmentworkers and to use them to design a simplemonitoring system which will help you keep yourfunders happy.


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The aim of this exercise is to pull together some of the strands relating to planningmonitoring. It will also stress the work that needs to be undertaken prior to establishinga new system or refining an existing one.

In the whole group ask people to come up with their ideas of what should be in a checklist for settingup a monitoring system. Write up their ideas on a flipchart in rough chronological order. Use Handout12 as a prompt sheet.

Use this opportunity to encourage debate and discussion about any concerns that people have aboutmonitoring. Re-assure people that they can take control of the situation and develop something that isof value and use to their organisation. This means they need to allow time for exploration of key issuesand for looking at the pros and cons of different approaches. There are plenty of publications availablewhich can help with this. The Charity Evaluation Service, for example, have a whole series of shortarticles which look at such issues as involving users, performance indicators – use and misuse.Community Development Cymru have a booklet on Evaluating Community Development Activities.

Developing a checklist formonitoring


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

19

A checklist of what needs doing in an organisation before it starts to monitor may include:

Getting ready to monitor


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Handout 12

◆ Discussing with everyone in theorganisation what they can do tocontribute to the achievement of theorganisation’s objectives, which can lead toan agreement on what needs to bemonitored

◆ Find out from any users what they wantfrom the organisation – get them involvedin providing feedback so you becomebetter at achieving your desired outcomes

◆ Decide if you want to agree on sometargets/standards that you will measureagainst – they need to be quite specificand may well have numbers attached.Having this debate about performanceindicators can stimulate discussion andraise divergent views about what theproject/organisation is all about.Performance indicators can be useful as abasis of evaluation but need to be treatedcautiously

◆ Decide if you want outcome indicators –measuring progress towards yourorganisation meetings its aims (theintended benefits for the people yourorganisation seeks to serve), or outputindicators – measuring progress towardsmeeting objectives (the steps chosen toaccomplish the aims of your organisation)

◆ Agree on the methods that you will use tocollect, collate and make sense ofmonitoring information. Aim to start withthe systems that you have in place forgathering information and feedback

◆ Decide what else you need to collect andhow to do this

◆ Decide whose job it is to collect theinformation, when and where will themonitoring take place?

◆ Discuss the resource implications and otherissues relating to the approach that isbeing considered

◆ Decide who, and how many, will beinvolved in the initial collation of theinformation. Arrange a way of regularlyreviewing the information and begin todraw some conclusions

◆ Find ways to tell people about what youhave found out and use this to help planthe future

◆ Agree what changes need to be made andwho is responsible for carrying them out.





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Name of participant

Name of Tutor/s

1

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group and its work?




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2

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Portfolio question

You need to demonstrate your understanding of the range of techniques used to gather,collate and evaluate the information collected by a monitoring system.


■ Identify two different ways to gather information for monitoring

■ Identify two different methods to collate information

■ Explain how you can check information for accuracy and relevance.


■ Describe the steps involved in monitoring and explain why they are important

■ Describe the range of techniques that can be used to gather and collate information

■ Describe how the findings can be analysed to ensure accuracy, sufficiency and relevance.


68➙



Tutor’s comments



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Techniques for engagingstakeholders





◆ Session aim(s)● To explore ways of involving all the relevant people in evaluation


● Understand the range of participative and creative community development approaches toevaluation

◆ Indicative content● Different approaches to evaluation

● Stakeholders, their levels of involvement and roles to take in evaluation

● Techniques for evaluation – advantages and disadvantages

● Choosing the appropriate techniques.

Techniques for engaging stakeholders


Monitoring and Evaluation • Session SevenFederation for Community Development Learning

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Make the proposition that there are two main reasons for evaluation and that all thedifferent reasons for organisations undertaking evaluation can be subsumed into them.

◆ Evaluation for accountability – to show others what we are doing and to give the evidencefor our achievements. This can be about reporting to funders and stakeholders, and includesinternal and external accountability

◆ Evaluation for learning and development – to increase personal and organisationallearning and development both through the process of doing the evaluation and through itsfindings. It can lead to clarification of an organisation’s mission and vision and changes in itsworking practices.

Organise small groups to discuss whether they agree with this proposition by thinking abouttheir own situations. Get feedback from their discussions

Ask them to return to their groups and complete Worksheet 6 on the advantages anddisadvantages of each type of evaluation. If you need to give some examples use Handout13 as your prompt to get them going. The worksheet also asks them to suggest the kinds ofquestions that would be asked under each approach

When they have completed the worksheet, ask them to consider whether the two approachesare incompatible or could be combined?

Bring the group back together, and take feedback on accountability pros and cons first, thenrepeat for the learning and development grid. You can follow this by giving out Handout 13if it contains additional material

Check out the kinds of questions they came up with. See Handout 14 for some ideas

Finally ask them for their decision on the compatibility of both approaches. Ideally they willthink that there are some grounds for compatibility and that they can be woven togetherwhen designing an evaluation.

Purpose of evaluation


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

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Evaluation for accountability

Advantages Disadvantages

What kind of questions would you ask in an evaluation focusing on accountability?

Reasons for evaluation


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Worksheet

6

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Evaluation for learning and development


What kind of questions would you ask in an evaluation focusing on learning anddevelopment?


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Evaluation for accountability


It supports organisations in giving an accountof what they have done; it provides astructure for organisations to collectinformation about their activities and sharethis with others

It encourages organisations to gather andtake note of what their users think of theirservices

It facilitates organisations in their watchdogrole of holding others to account

Pros and cons


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Handout 13

Evaluation is seen as a policing activity

It interferes with relationships built on trustwithin an organisation

It stifles innovation and diversity

It obscures what is really going on

It focuses too narrowly on the organisation andignores the wider context affecting theorganisation

➙


Can encourage clearer and deeper thinkingabout what they are doing or trying toachieve

Helps paid and unpaid workers learn moreabout the different parts of their organisation,and to see things from each other’sperspectives

Helps people to develop new skills, especiallyin identifying the questions to ask, ways ofcollecting and collating data, interpreting andanalysing the information

Enables stakeholders to learn more about theorganisation and improve their understandingof what it can and cannot be expected to do

Can help the organisation/worker to see howtheir work fits into a wider context


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The focus on ‘doing’ can leave a feeling thatlearning is an unaffordable luxury for anorganisation/worker

Feeling that they must produce ‘good stories’rather then being self-critical and honestlyanalysing what is happening

Creates difficulties in dealing with informationthat challenges the status quo and acceptedways of doing things

The systems for accessing, storing and sharinglearning are poorly developed and under-resourced

People may not agree that learning is alegitimate purpose for evaluation; they may wantto maintain a distinction between an objective/scientific view of evaluation rather than movinginto an organisational development tool

Evaluation for learning and development

For accountability the kinds of questions could include:

◆ Has the project worked?

◆ How has the money been spent?

◆ Should the project continue?

For learning and development the kinds of questions could include:

◆ What are the project’s strengths and weaknesses?

◆ What problems have come up during implementation of plans?

◆ Why have some things worked or not?

◆ What are the workers/communities perceptions of the project?

◆ How do the organisation’s policies and practices affect the project’s development?

◆ How can the project develop in the future?

Questions to askThe purpose of the evaluation will affect the questions that will be asked


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Handout 14

Stakeholders can be defined as ‘anyone who is affected by or who can influence theimpact of an initiative’. That means stakeholders can be individuals, groups, communitiesor organisations.

This exercise is designed to get people thinking about who should be included in an evaluation of aproject. You can either use Case Study 3 or people can work on their own real life situations.

If using the case study then small groups can work on the scenario. If people want to work on theirown, check if they want other people to join them.

They need to make a list of all the potential stakeholders and their interest in this initiative, and thenplot them onto the matrix on Handout 15.

Get the group’s attention and give out Worksheet 7. Explain the levels of involvement and thedifferent roles that are needed and ask them to plot the stakeholders against these criteria.

Feedback will only be useful if everyone is working on the case study. If people are working on theirown situations then you should spend time looking at each group’s work and commenting as youmove around.

Stakeholders


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

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Greenway Community Centre operates fromcouncil owned premises at the centre of a largeestate. It is managed by the GreenwayCommunity Association, which has an electedManagement Committee of 11 local residentsand a representative from the local authority.There are co-opted members from the localhealth centre, adult education, and the police.

Twenty-eight local groups and organisations usethe premises for activities ranging from ahomework club, IT classes, drama group,women’s health group to a pensioners’ lunchclub. There are four paid staff employed by theAssociation and currently in excess of 20volunteers.

The funding comes from a mix of sourcesincluding:

◆ Hiring charges for individuals andorganisations booking rooms

◆ Trust funds for specific youth projects

◆ The Primary Care Trust for the healthrelated activities

◆ A council grant for running costs

◆ The local college for education classes

◆ Social services for the lunch club

◆ The regional arts council for the dance anddrama activities.

The Association is approaching the end of its firstthree-year Business Plan and is beginning to planfor the next cycle. It wants to produce a detailedplan for a major evaluation process needed tounderpin discussions about future directions.

Make a list of all the stakeholders who should beinvolved in this planned evaluation and note theirinterest in this initiative.

Decide where you would put them on the matrixon Handout 15.

Greenway Community Centre


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Case Study 3

Matrix for stakeholder analysis


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Handout 15

High importanceHigh influence

High importanceLow influence

Low importanceLow influence

Low importanceHigh influence

in f luence

importance

1. Level of involvement

Who should be informed about theevaluation and provided withinformation about the process andfindings?

Who should be consulted about theevaluation and given the chance tohave a say about what should beevaluated and how it should be carriedout?

Who should be invited to be partners inthe evaluation and given an active rolein deciding what should be evaluatedand how?

Who should control the evaluation, andhave the final say in what should beevaluated and how?

Stakeholders involvement and role


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Worksheet

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Role Stakeholders

In the planning

In collecting the information for the evaluation

In interpreting the findings

In making use of the findings

In disseminating the findings

In checking on the progress of the evaluation

2. What role should stakeholders take in the evaluation?


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Monitoring and Evaluation • Session EightFederation for Community Development Learning

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This exercise builds on the previous work on determining which stakeholders to involvein any evaluation. The aim is to get people to think through the likely reactions andresponses of different people approached to become involved.

The range of stakeholders can be grouped together:

◆ Paid workers

◆ Unpaid workers/volunteers/management committee members

◆ Users of services

◆ Local communities of geography, interest and/or identity

◆ Funders

◆ Other voluntary and community organisations working in the same area/field of activity

◆ Statutory organisations.

Add in any other significant groups relevant to this course – for example, private sector businesses.

Split the group into pairs/trios and give each group one of the stakeholders. Ask them to think of anyparticular concerns, constraints, issues that they might have about getting involved in an evaluation.

Some examples of issues might be that:

◆ They don’t trust some of the other stakeholders

◆ They don’t think they have anything to contribute

◆ It’s not their interest or their motivation

◆ It will unnecessarily upset the current situation

◆ They feel threatened

◆ They haven’t the time

◆ There aren’t the resources to do a good job

◆ There might be a conflict of interest

◆ It won’t make any difference

◆ Their voices will not be heard.

Organise feedback and note the most common concerns, constraints and issues beingreported.

Stakeholders’ reactions


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

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Ask the group to come up with ideas for a checklist. Some of the points you would expect them tomake include:

◆ Usefulness – is it the best way to collect the data you need. Will it give you enough data,especially if you need detailed information?

◆ Practicality – do you have enough people, resources, skills, time to use these particular tools?

◆ Appropriateness – will it be suitable for your target stakeholders? Is it appropriate to theirage, gender, language skills, literacy abilities?

◆ Sensitivity – will it be too intrusive, will it handle issues of confidentiality fairly, will it pick upthe subtleties that you need to hear?

◆ Accuracy – will you be able to check this out?

◆ Reliability – can people interpret the same data differently, will the information be biased?

◆ Time needed for analysis – especially on individual and group interviews, do you have thetime to do this?

◆ Currency – will it take so long that the information gets out of date?

◆ Dissemination format – do you have easy access to the resources to edit and reproducevideos for example?

Creating a checklist forchoosing evaluation tools


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

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Ask the group which ones they know about and flip their answers. They could include:

Add in any they haven’t mentioned. You may need to explain any they haven’t heard about.

For the visual exercises there are four handouts that you can give as examples of different approaches.

Prepare flipcharts with the following headings:

Individual approaches (surveys, opinion polls, interviews, questionnaires, personal diaries,drawings, personal stories)

Group discussions (focus groups, recorded and facilitated discussions, group interviews)

Group exercises (visual exercises, time lines, maps, drawings, community stories, observations,role plays)

Outside (photos, videos, walk-abouts)

Draw a line down the middle of each sheet and put advantages at the top of one column anddisadvantages in the other column.

Place them on tables and put people into four groups. Ask them to move around the tables and addtheir thoughts to each sheet.

Use Handout 16 to check the results.

Ways to collect information


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

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◆ Surveys

◆ Opinion polls

◆ Vox pop

◆ Focus groups

◆ Recorded group discussions

◆ Observations

◆ Interviews

◆ Questionnaires

◆ Diaries

◆ Video diaries

◆ Drawings

◆ Photos – before and after

◆ Visual exercises (such as the snake,dart board, tree)

◆ Time lines

◆ Walk-abouts (to see changes in an area)

◆ Community maps

◆ Role plays

◆ People’s stories

➙

Dar

tboa

rd


86

Put a

n ai

m/o

bjec

tive

at th

e to

p of

the

shee

t and

then

ask

peo

ple

to in

dica

teho

w w

ell t

hey

thou

ght t

he o

rgan

isatio

nha

d ac

hiev

ed it

.The

cen

tre is

the

high

est

and

the

oute

r rin

g th

e lo

wes

t sco

re.

➙


87

Evaluation TreeThe roots (the arrows) are the resources that the project starts with.

The soil is the input of additional resources.

The trunk is the organisation’s infrastructure – policies, systems, workers, volunteers, equipment.

The leaves are all the activities and services offered.

The benefits would be any fruit that grew.

Give people post-it notes and let them comment on the different aspects of the tree – they couldbe commenting on how well the organisation is functioning, or what the impact is on the widercommunity.

➙


88

Fish

Put t

he n

ame

of a

n ac

tivity

her

e an

d as

k pe

ople

to m

ake

com

men

ts o

n po

st-it

not

es a

nd a

dd to

the

rele

vant

par

t of t

he fi

sh.

Posi

tive

Neg

ativ

e

➙


89

High

Star

t dat

e

Tim

e Li

ne

Look

ing

back

war

ds to

pla

n th

e fu

ture

Agre

e th

e st

art d

ate

for t

he re

view

and

writ

e m

onth

s al

ong

the

line.

Then

eith

er w

ork

on y

our o

wn

or in

sm

all g

roup

s an

d de

cide

wha

t wer

e th

e sig

nific

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vent

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d w

rite

them

on

post

-it n

otes

.De

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e go

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,put

the

good

one

s ab

ove

the

line

at th

e po

int w

here

they

occu

rred.

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n al

l the

not

es h

ave

been

put

ont

o th

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eet y

ou c

an d

iscus

s th

em a

nd s

ay w

hy y

outh

ough

t the

y w

ere

high

s or

low

s.Th

en d

iscus

s w

hat y

ou h

ave

lear

nt fr

om th

e pa

st w

hich

will

hel

pyo

u w

hen

plan

ning

the

futu

re.

Low

Interviews

Focus and discussion groups

Some advantages and disadvantagesof the different methods


90

Handout 16

Advantages

◆ Enables detailed data to be collected

◆ Have quite a good response rate if theinterviewer is flexible about timing

◆ Is more appropriate for collectingsensitive and personal data

◆ Enables people who don’t like writing tocontribute

Disadvantages

◆ Takes a lot of time to do

◆ Takes time to analyse the informationgathered

◆ Personal information is harder to collate

◆ Need people trained as interviewers

◆ Some people find it intimidating

Advantages

◆ Different views are expressed anddebated

◆ Less time consuming than individualinterviews

◆ Provides a detailed insight

◆ Discussions can generate ideas for thefuture

◆ Can give people confidence to expressideas and opinions

Disadvantages

◆ Time-consuming to set up

◆ Need skilled facilitators

◆ Some people don’t like talking in agroup

◆ Minority views may not come across

◆ Hard to record and analyse data

◆ Confidentiality issues

➙

Questionnaires

Group exercises

Outside exercises


91

Advantages

◆ Quick and cheap to do

◆ Easily administered

◆ Can be sent to lots of different people

◆ Can capture the views of minorities

◆ Less intrusive than interviews

◆ People may feel they can be more honest

◆ Easier to analyse

◆ Good for quantifiable information

Disadvantages

◆ Low return rate

◆ Limited amount of information

◆ Depends on how good the questions are

◆ Biased sample, as only interested fill it in

◆ Relies on people having writing skills

◆ Issues of translation

Advantages

◆ Involve people of all abilities

◆ Engage people’s interest

◆ Provide interesting results

◆ Watching people in what they do ratherthan what they say

◆ Good for quantifiable information

Disadvantages

◆ Hard to interpret drawings

◆ Hard to quantify

◆ Observer may be biased

◆ Hard to record and watch at the sametime

Advantages

◆ Engage people’s interest

◆ Show real changes on the ground

◆ Provides in-depth and detailedinformation

Disadvantages

◆ Time-consuming to set up

◆ May involve only a few interested peopleand so bias results

◆ Require access to technical resources

This exercise is intended to bring together the different aspects of choosing techniquesto suit the stakeholders.

Groups can either return to working on Case Study 3, or to their own situations. Their task is to comeup with an outline plan which shows the mix of techniques they will use to gather the range ofinformation. They may find it helpful to record their ideas on Worksheet 8.

They should be thinking about using a variety of techniques and involving different stakeholders toensure they get information that can be verified for reliability and accuracy. The information also needsto show different perspectives on the organisation’s and worker’s activities.

Choosing the right techniques


92

Tutor Prompt Sheet

25

Tech

niqu

eSt

akeh

olde

rs t

o In

form

atio

n yo

u N

otes

be in

volv

edho

pe t

o co

llect

Choosing a technique


93

Worksheet

8





94


Name of participant

Name of Tutor/s

1

➙


group and its work?




95

2

3

➙

Portfolio question

You need to demonstrate your understanding of the range of participative and creativecommunity development approaches to evaluation.


■ Identify two approaches to evaluation

■ Explain how different stakeholders can be involved in the evaluation.


■ Analyse current approaches to evaluation and comment on their effectiveness of involving all therelevant stakeholders.


96➙



Tutor’s comments



97



Evaluatingaspects ofcommunitydevelopment





◆ Session aim(s)● To identify and use all the components involved in an evaluation


● Understand the components to be included in the design of an effective evaluation

◆ Indicative content● Steps in evaluation

● Planning a community development evaluation.

Evaluating aspects of community development


Monitoring and Evaluation • Session NineFederation for Community Development Learning

98

Det

aile

d Se

ssio

n P

lan

9

Tim

eCo

nten

tEx

erci

se/M

etho

dRe

sour

ces

Not

esco

re to

pic

or

optio

nal i

f tim

e

Anyt

hing

sui

tabl

e

Tuto

r inp

ut

Smal

l gro

ups

– qu

ick

flips

Case

stu

dy w

ork

in s

mal

l gro

ups

Tuto

r to

chec

k w

here

gro

ups

have

got

to

Sess

ion

plan

Tuto

r Pro

mpt

She

et 2

6Ha

ndou

t 17

Tuto

r Pro

mpt

She

et 2

7Ca

se s

tudy

4

War

m-u

p ex

erci

se

Colle

ct a

ny R

eflec

tive

Jour

nals

to m

ark.

Aim

s of

the

sess

ion

Step

s in

eva

luat

ion

Plan

ning

a c

omm

unity

deve

lopm

ent e

valu

atio

n

Chec

k pr

ogre

ss

End

0.00

0.10

0.15

0.45

1.55

2.00

The purpose of this exercise is to help people to bring together all the aspects ofevaluation that have been discussed so far on this course.

Split the participants into small groups, give each group 15+ slips of paper (A4 sheets cut lengthwaysinto three slips would be fine), glue sticks or blu-tac and a sheet of flipchart paper.

Their task is to think of all the steps that are involved in planning an evaluation and to write downeach step on a slip of paper. Then they need to agree the order in which they occur and to stick theslips onto the flipchart paper.

Organise feedback by displaying the flipcharts on the walls. Taking each in turn let people from theother groups ask for any clarification. You may need to suggest any aspects that they have forgotten.

Steps in evaluation


99

Tutor Prompt Sheet

26

Be clear about the purpose of the evaluation; why are you doing it and why now? Pull togetherdifferent agendas of funders, your organisation and the community into a coherent rationale.

What do you want to evaluate – is it the organisation, the project, an activity, a policy? Agreethe boundaries and keep it manageable – don’t try and look at everything at once.

Identify who has an interest in this evaluation and get them involved in planning the process.

Agree what questions the evaluation should attempt to answer.

Decide how you are going to undertake the evaluation – what information is needed, whatexists already, the best ways to get additional information, who will collect it?

Consider how the information collected can be collated and checked.

Decide how and who can analyse the information and make summaries.

Decide how the initial findings will be fed back and discussed with those involved to determinewhat has been learnt, what has been achieved, what difference has been made.

Examine the resource implications of the approach chosen.

Explore the training implications for the people involved.

Decide how the information will be used to make changes and plan for the future.

Decide how to review and evaluate the evaluation process.

Bring all of this together by developing a clear and co-ordinated action plan for the evaluation,that is both realistic and achievable.

Steps in evaluation


100

Handout 17

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

This exercise is designed to focus participants on what is different about evaluatingusing a community development approach. You can use the case studies on Case Study 4sheet or you can allow people to use their own situations providing that the focus is onevaluating community development.

If you are using the case studies, ask people to sign up for the one they are most interested in.

Give them the task which is to:

Decide on which aspect of their team’s community development they want toevaluate

To produce a plan for the evaluation

To note the issues that will need to be addressed.

They need to focus on what achievements they want to measure, for example:

◆ Who set the focus of the work? How involved were local people or communities of interest atthe beginning? How involved are they now in setting the future direction?

◆ Has the work changed people’s lives?

◆ Have people gained new skills and knowledge?

◆ Has it contributed to personal or community empowerment?

◆ Has the work led to improved conditions for people?

◆ Has the work included and actively involved people from deprived and marginalisedcommunities?

◆ Has the work tackled issues of inequality, discrimination, oppression and injustice?

◆ Has the work led to greater involvement of communities in decision-making structures thataffect them?

◆ Have the powerful organisations developed their skills in working in partnership withcommunities?

◆ Has the work contributed to sustainable communities?

Planning an evaluation from acommunity development perspective


101

Tutor Prompt Sheet

27

A

B

C

➙

They also need to think about the involvement of communities in the evaluation. Should some peoplebe trained up as local evaluators to go and ask the questions and gather and analyse the information?This way resources can be retained in the community and skills and knowledge developed which canhelp people in the future, for example with gaining work. The use of external consultancy firms to pilein, take people’s knowledge for free, make pronouncements and leave taking the money with them, isnot considered to be good community development practice.

This exercise is designed to last for the rest of this session and a small part of Session 10. If you findthat some groups are zapping through it then it suggests they are not having the appropriatediscussions and require some directing to explore some of the issues in greater detail. This is neededfor their portfolio evidence.


102

Community EmpowermentTeam

You are workers in the community empowermentteam which has responsibility for engaging localcommunities in the Strategic PlanningPartnership. Your team covers the whole of thetown/borough and provides support to all of thesubgroups of the Strategic Planning Partnership,which include:

◆ Healthier and Safer Communities

◆ Wealth creation

◆ Life-long learning

◆ Environment, housing and accessibility.

Your team’s role is to generate interest from thecommunities, and organise the election ofcommunity representatives to the PartnershipBoard and all the subgroups. You also providethem with all the necessary support to undertaketheir role and remain accountable to theircommunities.

Your team is wholly funded through the localcouncil using neighbourhood renewal andcommunity empowerment funding from theregional development agency, but employed by,and based in a voluntary action project.

Community Developmentand Health Team

You are workers in a community developmentand health team which works in one PrimaryCare Trust area which covers over half of thetown/borough area. Your team’s role is to engagecommunities in taking more responsibility fortheir own health through encouragingpreventative schemes and support groups whichmeet identified health needs in particularcommunities.

Currently you are supporting groups whoseconcerns include:

◆ Diabetes awareness and support group toSouth Asian communities

◆ Walking groups for people with heartdisease

◆ Women’s mental health survivors group

◆ Campaigning for the de-toxification of theold gas works site

◆ A community bulk buy fruit and vegetablescheme.

Your project is mainly funded by the PCT withadditional funding from healthy living initiativesand neighbourhood renewal.

Planning an evaluation


103

Case Study 4

Your group will work on one of the following case studies.

1 2

➙

SureStart CommunityOutreach Team

You are the community outreach team within aSureStart scheme which covers a large area withmany different communities. Your role is to be thecommunity eyes and ears, to be out and aboutand to engage parents with young children in allthe activities offered by SureStart. You alsofeedback to the scheme any issues and needsthat are being identified by members of thecommunities.

You are currently involved with:

◆ A toddler activity group held in a localschool

◆ A play bus

◆ A drop-in centre in a shop (open a fewhours each week)

◆ Visiting parents with new babies in theirhomes

◆ A children’s library.

You split your time between visiting new parents,walking the streets and talking to people andproviding support to start up and maintaincommunity based activities and groups.

Your SureStart is managed by an interagencygroup with representatives from health, socialservices, community development andregeneration, education and libraries. Your teamis seconded from the community developmentsection of the council.

Your taskYour task is to produce a plan for the evaluationof your team’s community development workwhich covers all the steps in Handout 17. Youshould record the issues that are raised in yourdiscussions.

You need to start by deciding which specificareas of your work you will be evaluating. Youmay find the following list of the kinds ofquestions you could ask useful in focusing onwhat achievements you want to measure, forexample:

◆ Who set the focus of the work? Howinvolved were local people or communitiesof interest at the beginning? How involvedare they now in setting the futuredirection?

◆ Has the work changed people’s lives?

◆ Have people gained new skills andknowledge?

◆ Has it contributed to personal orcommunity empowerment?

◆ Has the work led to improved conditionsfor people?

◆ Has the work included and activelyinvolved people from deprived andmarginalised communities?

◆ Has the work tackled issues of inequality,discrimination, oppression and injustice?

◆ Has the work led to greater involvement ofcommunities in decision-making structuresthat affect them?

◆ Have the powerful organisationsdeveloped their skills in working inpartnership with communities?

◆ Has the work contributed to sustainablecommunities?


104

3

Monitoring and Evaluation • Session TenFederation for Community Development Learning

105

Det

aile

d Se

ssio

n P

lan

10

Tim

eCo

nten

tEx

erci

se/M

etho

dRe

sour

ces

Not

esco

re to

pic

or

optio

nal i

f tim

e

Anyt

hing

sui

tabl

e

Smal

l gro

ups

Smal

l gro

ups

to p

repa

re fl

ipch

arts

and

acet

ates

to s

how

thei

r pla

n

Each

gro

up to

exp

lain

thei

r wor

k in

deta

il to

who

le g

roup

s.Tu

tor l

ed c

ritic

al d

iscu

ssio

n of

eac

hpr

esen

tatio

n

Giv

e ba

ck a

ny m

arke

d jo

urna

lsan

d ha

nd o

ut R

eflec

tive

Jour

nal 5

From

last

ses

sion

use

:Cas

e st

udy

4Ha

ndou

t 17

Tuto

r Pro

mpt

She

et 2

7

Flip

char

ts,a

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tes,

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(if d

esire

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ens.

Tuto

r Pro

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et 2

8

Tuto

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Refle

ctiv

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l 5

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gam

e

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sh w

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on c

ase

stud

y

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anis

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esen

tatio

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thei

rw

ork

Gro

up p

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ntat

ions

Refle

ctiv

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urna

ls.An

y pl

anni

ng fo

r the

last

wee

k

Endi

ng g

ame

End

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.40

1.40

1.50

2.00

The groups should be coming towards the end of their debates, so agree a time for themto be ready to present back. You also need to agree the order of presentations.

Explain that they need to do quite a formal presentation so it needs to be clear to the otherparticipants what their plan is. They can choose to use flipcharts or acetates as visual material to backup their presentation. Encourage all members of the group to contribute to the presentation. Theyshould aim for a 10 minute presentation.

When a presentation is about to be made ask the participants to make notes on anything they want toclarify or discuss after the presentation. After the group has presented their work, ask for any questionsof clarification group members need.

Then you should lead a critical discussion to explore how the plan meets the criteria for being aparticipatory and effective approach to measuring quality community development.

Presentations of evaluation


106

Tutor Prompt Sheet

28





107


Name of participant

Name of Tutor/s

1

➙


group and its work?




108

2

3

➙

Portfolio question

You need to demonstrate your understanding of the components that need to beincluded in the design of an effective evaluation


■ Identify the components that need to be included in any evaluation

■ Identify some of the issues that need to be addressed when you are designing an evaluation.


■ Prepare an outline plan for evaluating a specific project or activity, using a communitydevelopment approach with aims, methods, resources and expected outcomes.


109➙



Tutor’s comments



110



Making use of the results





◆ Session aim(s)● To explore ways of sharing and using the evaluation findings


● Appreciate the value of disseminating the results to the wider community and relevantorganisations

◆ Indicative content● Who needs the information?

● Formats for presenting the results

● Dealing with complex issues

● Reviewing and evaluating the evaluation process.

Making use of the results


Monitoring and Evaluation • Session ElevenFederation for Community Development Learning

111

Det

aile

d Se

ssio

n P

lan

11

Tim

eCo

nten

tEx

erci

se/M

etho

dRe

sour

ces

Not

esco

re to

pic

or

optio

nal i

f tim

e

Not

e th

at d

etai

ls a

bout

the

endi

ng o

fth

e co

urse

will

be

cove

red

in s

essi

on12

Anyt

hing

sui

tabl

e

Tuto

r inp

ut

Smal

l gro

ups

Smal

l gro

ups.

Feed

back

Smal

l gro

ups.

Who

le g

roup

feed

back

Sess

ion

plan

s

Tuto

r Pro

mpt

She

et 2

9 W

orks

heet

9

Tuto

r Pro

mpt

She

et 2

9W

orks

heet

10

Tuto

r Pro

mpt

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et 3

0Ca

se s

tudy

5

Wel

com

e to

the

last

day

.W

arm

-up

gam

e

Colle

ct a

ny jo

urna

ls to

mar

k.Ex

plai

n th

e da

y’s

prog

ram

me

Who

nee

ds to

kno

w th

eev

alua

tion

outc

omes

?

Suita

ble

form

ats

for

pres

entin

g th

e in

form

atio

n

Hand

ling

som

e of

the

resu

lts

End

0.00

0.10

0.15

0.35

1.15

2.00

Ask people to return to the same working groups that they were in last session whenthey were working on the case studies.

Give out Worksheet 9 and ask them to think about all the people that might have contributedto the evaluation and all of those they might want to use the evaluation to influence. Theyshould complete the boxes about who they want to tell and why.

When the groups have completed this exercise give out Worksheet 10 and ask them to workthrough the suggested formats/methods and note down the pros and cons for each one. Theyshould then think of other ways they could report the findings and add those in.

Then they should decide what their particular strategy would be.

Bring the groups back together and take feedback on the pros and cons of the differentmethods and any other ideas they had. Then take feedback from their case study using theresults of Worksheet 9 and the last box of Worksheet 10.

Check that the groups have thought about producing information for:

◆ Informing all those who took part about the results and how they will be used

◆ Internal consumption by the organisation – what changes do they need to make? What will theyplan for the future?

◆ External consumption – for funders; for policy makers; for other organisations whose workimpacted on this evaluation.

Disseminating the results


112

Tutor Prompt Sheet

29

1

2

3

4

Revisit the case study you were working on in the last session. Discuss who will need to receiveinformation about the evaluation outcomes and explain why you think they need to know.

Who Why

Who needs to know the outcomes of the evaluation?


113

Worksheet

9

Continuing with the same case study, discuss the different formats listed below and note theiradvantages and disadvantages. Then come up with the preferred range of formats you would use fordisseminating the results of this evaluation.

Methods/formats Advantages Disadvantages

Internet – posted on own web site

Internet – posted on different stakeholder web sites

Television

Mainstream local radio

Community radio

Written report

Illustrated report with minimal writing

Timeline

Photo montage

Audio tape

Different formats for presenting evaluation findings


114

Worksheet

10

➙

CD-rom

Wall poster

Open meetings

Focus group recall meetings

Drama/role play

Summary sheets

Others you can devise

Our agreed disseminating strategy would include:


115

This exercise follows on from the previous by using the same case study. So the groupsneed to re-form. The sheet Case Study 5 gives some likely outcomes from the evaluationexercise. Each group needs to decide what it will do with these findings and how theywill take forward finding ways to deal with them.

Organise feedback by asking each group to say how it thought it might use the findings to bring aboutchange. Ask them to say what sort of change they would be looking for.

Some suggestions might be:

Community Empowerment Team◆ They need to spend some time with their managers and with each other to discuss and debate

what they see as their role and the approach to their work. To obtain internal consistency ofservice they will need internal policy agreement

◆ They may seek a meeting with the various political groups to discuss this by explaining that thecommunity representative system was agreed and established by the community sector itself.They need to ascertain the policy of the political groups and if the councillors’ views are grouppolicy before deciding on how to affect change

◆ Exploring what resources are needed with community representatives. Looking at what the teamcan provide (internal) and working with the representatives to tackle the issue with officers tosee if they are aware of what they are asking. Finding adequate resources for the strategicplanning processes (external policy change)

◆ The team needs to become more informed about the different communities and developstrategies for engaging effectively with them. This might require staff training, employment ofstaff with different skills or a change of focus by the team – some of these the team memberscould do, others would need a management decision.

Handling the results


116

Tutor Prompt Sheet

30

1

➙

Community Development and Health Team◆ They need to spend some time with their managers and with each other to discuss and debate

what they see as their role and the approach to their work. To obtain internal consistency ofservice they need to get some internal policy agreed

◆ The team itself may need some input on community development and the range of activities thatcan be used to achieve the desired goal, or it could be a policy level decision

◆ This may mean looking at who is doing this work and trying to make links between them andthe communities the team are working with. This could involve trying to break down some of thebarriers and demarcations to allow cross-boundary working (internal change in way of working)

◆ This may require staff training to make them aware that Disabled people are sexual beings andalso have needs – rather than seeing them as non-sexual beings with impaired bodies. Trying toraise this with other parts of the same or different organisations will be tricky, and protectingthe confidentiality of the respondents will be important. This may come from supporting DisabledPeople’s groups to tackle the discrimination.

SureStart Community Outreach Team◆ This needs to be made a policy matter for the relevant health employers as individuals will find it

hard to pull in such additional activities on top of what they already feel are heavy workloads(external policy changes within the health service employers)

◆ This has to be an internal matter for the management of SureStart. It is likely to involve someeducation as to the value of taking a community development approach if they really intend toachieve the aim of local people taking over the programmes in a few years time (internal policychanges)

◆ This will require work both within SureStart and its sponsoring agencies as well as those notinvolved who have some remit for other children and young people’s services in the area. It willbring in inter-agency work and policy making about resourcing as well as trying to get policymakers at that level to work in partnership with parents and local communities. (This mayrequire a change in focus of their community work and so can be an internal team issue as wellas an inter-agency matter.)


117

2

3

The evaluation findings from the three case studies in Case Study 4 have thrown upsome interesting themes which you need to decide how to deal with.

Handling some of the results


118

Case Study 5

Community EmpowermentTeam

◆ There is obviously a difference between thecommunity development workers in theteam about how they see their role. Someprovide very good support to communityrepresentatives, others say that their mainallegiance has to be to the council whoeffectively funds their posts and thereforethey must follow council officers’ andcouncillors’ instructions

◆ There are many reports of councillorsdominating all the subgroups, claimingthat only they can speak for thecommunity as they are elected byindividuals in the community and notthrough community groups as thecommunity representatives are

◆ The community representatives areexpected to take on work from the mainboard and the subgroups but without theresources that council officers andcouncillors have at their disposal – accessto office equipment, staff time, expenses,etc.

◆ The newer communities that have beenarriving and settling in the town/boroughare not being drawn into this strategicplanning process and are feeling that theirneeds are being ignored.

Community Developmentand Health Team

◆ There are different approaches being takenby team members – some take their leadfrom the agendas being proposed by thedifferent communities in the area, whereasothers believe they should follow moreclosely the Primary Care Trust andgovernment health agenda. This can meanthat health issues which are not on thePCT or government priority lists are notfollowed up by all workers

◆ Some team members feel that their remitis to complement and extend the work ofthe PCT and healthy living programmes bygetting communities to run more servicesthemselves. One result is that communitiesthat want to take a more campaigning linefeel that they do not get the same level ofsupport that service-providing groups do

◆ There are some issues arising that are notspecific to particular communities – such asdrugs and domestic abuse – although thereare different issues and approaches neededwithin the different communities, their impactis very similar. At present these are not beingpicked up and worked with effectively

◆ A number of Disabled respondents havecomplained about the attitude of healthservice staff and feel they are beingdiscriminated against when they ask forsexual health services.

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SureStart CommunityOutreach Team

◆ Some of the parents who have becomeinvolved in the drop-in shop claim thatthey just do not get the support they needfrom health professionals – they promiseto come along and never do. They will notprovide community-based services in theshop – such as weighing babies orproviding dietary advice as requested bythe parents

◆ Many of the volunteers are feelingdisgruntled that they are expected to run

many of the services provided by SureStartfor free when they are not involved in anyof the decision-making processes. They justget told x is to happen, you can’t do y anymore

◆ Many people have said that what theirarea really needs is provision for the olderchildren and young teenagers, but thatthey cannot get any resources for theseage groups because it has been divertedinto SureStart programmes for youngchildren and babies.


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3

Monitoring and Evaluation • Session TwelveFederation for Community Development Learning

120

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In line with good community development work practice it is important that the processchosen for the evaluation is also reviewed and lessons learned from it, so that the nexttime an evaluation is planned it will be improved.

If participants are not yet bored with their case study then they could work in groups and use that. Ifthey need a change then ask people to work in pairs and to agree an evaluation project. They couldtake one from their portfolio work from last week’s Reflective Journal question.

This exercise is designed to get people to think about where, when and how they would review andevaluate their evaluation. They may find it useful to refer back to the steps in evaluation planning andthe action plan that was developed from that.

Ask them to think about:

What aspects of the evaluation process they would like to evaluate (such as methods, thetraining of local people as evaluators, their responses to the unintended consequences…)

When it would be appropriate to do this

Who would do this work

How they would feed the results into their organisation.

Flipchart these questions and ask for feedback using these headings.

Evaluating the evaluation


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Tutor Prompt Sheet

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1

2

3

4





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Name of participant

Name of Tutor/s

1

➙


group and its work?




123

2

3

➙

Portfolio question

You need to show you appreciate the value of disseminating the results to the widercommunity and relevant organisations.


■ Explain the purpose for disseminating the results of an evaluation exercise

■ Identify three different ways you could communicate the results to others.


■ Analyse different approaches to dissemination for two different audiences and explain whatoutcome you hope to achieve from this.

.


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Tutor’s comments



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Federation for Community

DevelopmentLearning

Supporting CommunitiesCreating Change

Federation for Community Development Learning3rd Floor, The Circle

33 Rockingham LaneSheffield S1 4FW

Tel. 0114 253 6770

Fax: 0114 253 6771

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.fcdl.org.uk

Community Development Monitoring and EvaluationNOCN unit numbers EE32QQ018 (Level Two) and EE33QQ040 (Level Three)

Supported by Civil Renewal Unit, Home OfficeISBN: 978-1-904111-08-5

Monitoriong and Evaluation

Documents

Transcript of Monitoriong and Evaluation