Community Learning Development Resource 603-05

 

EVALUATING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

 

 

SUMMARY

Notes from a discussion by community development workers exploring how community development projects might be evaluated. Three questions are posed in this resource (603-05): who evaluates; how do we evaluate; what do we evaluate? Evaluation is seen as a dynamic strategy and core strand of practice.

1. WHO MIGHT EVALUATE?

• The workers and the project itself to seeking to continuously improve the work in an ongoing cycle of monitoring, evaluation, review and action planning

• Grass roots evaluation – by clients/ customers, by local people/the local community or by intermediaries

• Line management evaluation – possibly linked to worker appraisal?

 

Evaluation from outside the project or area of work:

• The project parent agency has an annual cycle for evaluation and planning and produces an annual Self-Assessment Report

• The Local Authorities – District, County Council, etc.,

• External funders – e.g., a European Social Fund (ESF) evaluation; the Local Authority funding projects

• The strategic body, e.g., LSP or Locality Partnership responsible for the strategic direction of local community development activity and the work of the project

• Partner evaluation –  by peers who may be colleagues, co-workers, from other agencies or fellow professionals

 

2. HOW IS THE CYCLE OF EVALUATION APPLIED?

• Continuously (Monitoring the project) or at particular times – e.g., annually?
• Formatively to improve the work or summatively to account for funding or to measure year-on-year improvement?
• By using quantitative and / or qualitative evidence and judgements?
• What criteria are being applied and what indicators are being used?
• What targets, standards and benchmarks are being  used?
  • What starting-points, benchmark baselines can be used?
  • How objective (SMART) are the criteria, indicators, the evidence and the judgements?
  • How do measurement, estimation and anecdotal summaries contribute to the evaluation?
  • What is the awareness and understanding, within the evaluation, of the nature of the work – purposes; principles and priorities?
  • Does the evaluation capture the essence of the work?
  • What is the impact of evaluation activities on work planning, the workers and the delivery of the work?
  •  How well is monitoring, evaluation and review planned for and implemented
  • How do we evaluate our evaluation strategy?

3. WHAT IS EVALUATED?

• Effectiveness of the Project overall in producing the desired outcomes in relation to Project purposes, within for example,  the context of the local community strategy 0r a national agenda?

• Numbers of people building their individual, collective capacity and numbers participating in and contributing to community capacity building, and to Community Development and Neighbourhood Regeneration initiatives?
• The nature of achievements by local people through individual, collective and community capacity building. Community Development and Neighbourhood Regeneration?

• The quality of participation by local people?

• Cost-effectiveness?
• Effectiveness of interagency practice and co-working – delivery of outcomes & project contributions to networking, partner work and local strategies?

• Effectiveness of the strategy – organisation, leadership, management, teamwork and infrastructure support?

• Inclusion, Equality and Equality of Opportunity – how effectively inequality issues in the lives of clients are addressed and overcome?

• Health and Safety?

• Quality development and improvement?

• The benefits and impact of community development & neighbourhood regeneration?