Our evaluation work ensures good use of public funds
Evaluation
Our evaluation work ensures good use of public funds and effective delivery of programmes. We carry out evaluations for central and local Government, voluntary organisations and other funders. Evaluations may be short term or undertaken on a longitudinal basis to ensure that appropriate mechanisms are in place to facilitate good evaluation outcomes. Examples include:
- Alleygating Project - this longitudinal evaluation for Belfast City Council looked at the pilot project providing alley gates to the rear of terraced houses in a number of locations throughout Belfast. This was a partnership between N.I.O., Council and a number of other statutory and voluntary bodies including Bryson House.
- Drug Arrest Referral - evaluations of two major Drug Arrest Referral projects in Ballymena and Derry over a number of years on a longitudinal basis. These have been undertaken for partnerships involving N.I.O. and Foyle and Homefirst Health and Social Care Trusts. They have sought to address problem drug use while reducing crime.
- Progress to Work - this evaluation for the Department for Employment and Learning assessed how homeless people, those suffering from addictions and those who have been involved in criminal activity could be re-engaged with work.
- Family Fund - this evaluation for D.H.S.S.P.S. considered the U.K. wide Family Fund’s provision of financial support to families who have a child with a severe disability to assist them to meet a range of basic family needs.
- U.S.E.L. - this “light touch review” undertaken for D.E.L. considered whether there was an ongoing need for U.S.E.L. and whether it should continue to be an Non-departmental Public Body.
- Community Housing Advice Project - this evaluation carried out for the C.H.A.P. partners, Housing Rights Service, Citizens Advice and Advice N.I., considered how housing information could better be provided at a local level to those most in need of this.
- Cross-border Health Protection Project - this considered the C.A.W.T. funded Cross-border Health Protection Committee set up to connect senior medical, environmental health and food safety staff in improving cross-border communication and linkages to address major disease outbreak in the border area and surrounding counties, north and south.
- Equal Projects - we have delivered longitudinal evaluations of four E.U. Equal funded projects which seek to address procedural, policy and practical barriers to the workplace for single parents, carers, people with disabilities and for employers who have had difficulty getting access to the right employees.