Since 1999 I have been evaluating projects and programmes across the UK, working with charities, local authorities, the police, government, health and private sectors. During that time, along with a colleague in the Department of Applied Social Science at Lancaster University (Dr Ian Paylor), I initiated a Research and Evaluation Unit called ASSURE, which was both inward and external facing. It brought students closer to managers, practitioners and commissioners in public agencies, and service users closer to students undergoing a social work or youth justice education.
Recently this unit became independent of the University, thus enabling it to work with a wider range of service designers and providers whilst continuing to deliver high quality professional social evaluation.
My work with Shared Future was initially undertaken with several of SFCIC's directors during their time at Lancaster University. It has continued to this day, as we develop an evaluation capacity among charities, community and faith sectors towards business development, grant applications and other sources of future funding.
It has always been my intention to deliver high quality evaluation with organisations to assist them in their development and growth. In the past this model has ensured a great deal of future funding, including a £1million investment in an innovative health delivery programme, built for capacity with commissioners, managers, practitioners and service users to enable them to embed evaluation and to continue to use the processes and tools that it provides into the future.
Currently I am undertaking a range of evaluation work with NHS Vanguards, NHS Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups and the Health Engagement and Innovation Team at Lancaster University. I work with NHS England and a number of Commissioning Support Units to evaluate their patient engagement programmes and processes. I have also undertaken a European Regional Development Fund evaluation relating to business start-up and growth provision on behalf of a North West institution of Higher Education. ERDF evaluations are a specialist activity and I am pleased to say this one was completed to the satisfaction of the commissioners.
