Evaluation & Research
Rowan Associates enables organisations that are doing good work to show the good they are doing.
We have a track record in evaluation, service reviews, identifying good practice, and conducting research.
What?
We help organisations to evaluate their work.
How?
- external evaluation of services, projects and partnerships
- participative evaluation where this is appropriate
- self evaluation: we design and implement frameworks for self evaluation
- service improvement support and guidance
- practice based research
NEW!
- demonstrating the cost benefits of your provision: we have developed some simple mechanisms which calculate the impact of your services, based on showing the cost consequences for service commissioners.
Approach
Our approach to evaluation and research is to look behind the information. We go beyond descriptions of good practice, to identify the elements which contribute to it. Our research aims to set out lessons that can be replicated by others. At the same time, we are aware of the demands on service providers and their commissioners, and take care to make realistic recommendations.
Lori is very skilled at taking complex issues, breaking them down into achievable projects, and then delivering on them. She has excellent communication skills, and is good at engaging with people and gathering information from them, and including them in the work. Lori has a positive approach to difficult situations, and is not thrown by problem or obstacles – she always brings solutions.
Shaun Fitzpatrick, Supporting People Manager, North Somerset Council; former Supporting People Manager, Bristol City Council
What we do
External Evaluation
We carry out external evaluations of projects, services, partnerships and whole organisations. Examples of external evaluation reports available on line:
All that YOT Palaver: an evaluation of the effectiveness of the work of the South Gloucestershire Youth Offending Team (with Lin Whitfield) is published on http://www.southgloucestershireyot.org.uk/pdf/South_Glos_YOT_Evaluation_FINAL%20REPORT.pdf
Oxfam GB: Evaluation of Oxfam’s Urban Livelihoods programme in the Russian Federation: with Megan Bick and Angela Dale: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/evaluations/downloads/0608_rusa28_russia_urban_livelihoods_exec.pdf
We work with the organisations we evaluate, and support them to get maximum value from our work.
Through the Children’s Fund evaluation, the partnership has gained a real understanding the value of our work, and how to maximise our effectiveness. Lori and Lin have also enabled us, and the projects we support, to evaluate our work ourselves. We’re realistic about the amount of work involved, but their approach and clarity means that few of us are intimidated by it anymore! The Tool Kit is a constant companion which tells our projects all they need to know about how to go about their evaluations.
Rachel Robinson: Programme Manager, South Gloucestershire Children’s Fund
Self Evaluation
We are keen to enable organisations to build a culture of ongoing evaluation, without having to call in the external evaluators. To this end, we support organisations to evaluate their own work, usually by designing self evaluation tool kits or impact assessment frameworks. Each is bespoke, designed for the needs of each organisation, and takes account of your working realities.
Increasingly, we work with clients to explore realistic mechanisms for assessing return on investment.
Lori developed a bespoke Impact Assessment Tool Kit. This gives us methods for finding out what the many, different visitors and users of the Community Centre think about our facilities. It also shows the importance of a community building to the lives of the people who use its facilities. The questionnaire has a clear framework at its heart and this is giving us a valuable body of evidence. People have even praised the questionnaire!
Goska Ong, Manager, St Werburghs Centre
Service Improvement
We support organisations to understand and meet the requirements of their commissioners and funders, and to deliver quality assurance systems; and we work alongside client organisations to put in place realistic plans for demonstrating the quality of their services.
Your report was inspiring. Our staff are really motivated now, because they understand the ways that their everyday work makes a difference to our service users.
Research
Rowan Associates has a track record in carrying out clear, practice based research.
We have produced a range of research reports.
Lori’s understanding about good practice in service delivery, as well as her project management skills, meant that she was quick to understand the concept of the Knowledge Base, and she had a lot of ideas about how to put it together. This was invaluable. As the website progressed, she produced high quality material, and encouraged others to do the same. She kept an eye on the development a complex process with a large number of stakeholders, and helped to keep it on track and delivering to time.
Jo Gunner: National Homelessness Co-ordinator: YMCA
