The need for an Evaluation Service [1]
Current Context
Government has become increasingly convinced of the contribution that a strong and active voluntary and community sector makes to a healthy and flourishing society. At the same time, major government initiatives (e.g. New Deal, HAZ, Sure Start) now require all providers to measure performance and provide evidence of tangible outcomes. National research (LSE 1999) has shown that smaller voluntary and community organisations are struggling to meet these expectations, in that:
- the demands of monitoring require considerable additional time;
- planning and detailed reports can divert staff from the provision of essential services;
- smaller agencies may be required to use inappropriate measures designed for larger providers;
- external demands may divert organisations from their accountability to their stakeholders;
- many organisations lack expertise and skills in monitoring and evaluation.
In the South West, although the need to encourage self-evaluation for smaller organisations has been recognised by the Regional Development Agency in their report on the Regional Centre for Regeneration and Renewal (2002), recent research has highlighted the difficulties faced by such organisations in the South West in undertaking such work (Hannah Reynolds Assoc. 2001).
Market analysis - where does The Evaluation Trust fit in....?
A number of factors have worked against the development of a robust voluntary and community sector in the South West, capable of supporting this kind of activity. As the largest and most rural of England's regions, the South West has a very dispersed population, many of whom endure poor transport and access to services. The region also contains large urban areas such as Bristol and Plymouth, and therefore presents a huge diversity of need. Patchy provision of development workers and Councils for Voluntary Services (CVS) has led to a weakened sector in certain geographical areas (South West Foundation 2001; Hannah Reynolds Associates 2002).
