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We have recently concluded an evaluation of the NCEL CAMHS Provider Collaborative Small Grants programme led by East London NHS Foundation Trust. The first round of this programme has involved the distribution of £1.5M funding to 47 different VCSE organisations, focused on tackling inequalities in mental health support for children and young people, as well as reducing the need for hospital admission. The funded organisations ranged from small volunteer-led groups to more established and larger charities. Funded projects included sports, arts, counselling, group workshops and mentoring.

In order to fully capture the impact of the programme, we engaged with funded organisations initially to develop the outcomes framework and consult on data collection and research methods. We utilised primary and secondary research, both quantitative and qualitative, from provider monitoring data/questionnaires through to direct beneficiary engagement leading and facilitating interviews and focus groups. Through these approaches we have been able to demonstrate:

• The impact achieved for individuals and VCSE organisations
• Critical Success factors that enabled the impact
• Grant process findings and recommendations
• Systems impact and learning

The findings are now being used to feed into development of further rounds of the fund to enhance processes and maximise impact, as well as being shared with other NHS collaboratives to support their development of grant funding programmes for VCSE organisations.

Full Report Link: https://compasswellbeing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NCEL_Evaluation-Report_v2.0_2024.05.22-Full.pdf

“Thank you again for all your work on the small grants evaluation report we have had really positive feedback on both the report and also your presentation at the launch event which was incredibly well received. My sense is the report will be being shared far and wide.”
– Sheron Hosking, Director, NCEL Provider Collaborative

“Considering the grants were allocated to various organisations which have distinct ambitions and focuses, there was no doubt evaluating the outcome of the programme was complex. However, Paul and Steph have been able to draw out structure, key themes and a strong assessment of both the individual and systemic impacts achieved. We have thoroughly appreciated their support and enjoyed working with them.”
– Polly Lee, Deputy Director, NCEL Provider Collaborative

Find out more about our Charity Evaluation Services.

Genetic Alliance UK commissioned evaluation consultants at Charity Fundraising to undertake a thorough project evaluation of SWAN UK, funded by the National Lottery.  Genetic Alliance UK is a charity with over 200 member organisations and represents and supports people affected by genetic conditions.

Having successfully secured funding for the SWAN UK project from National Lottery, Genetic Alliance UK wanted to implement robust evaluation processes and understand the extent of the impact and quality the project had achieved. Our Senior Consultant, Steph Prentis, worked with Genetic Alliance UK over the initial two year project period, supporting the organisation in developing project evaluation tools, consulting with staff, volunteers and parents, analysing the results and producing the report. We were subsequently re-appointed to evaluate a further three year project period.

Our consultancy support has included:

• Establishing monitoring and evaluation frameworks;
• Desk research and review of monitoring data;
• Interviews with staff, volunteers and SWAN UK members;
• Production of annual evaluation reports,

The research we have undertaken has resulted in ongoing recommendations, which have enabled Genetic Alliance UK to strengthen their engagement methods, delivery approaches and monitoring systems as well as demonstrate the substantial impact of their work.

“Stephanie Prentis and Charity Fundraising evaluated the first two years of our Local Networks project which is part of our SWAN UK (syndromes without a name) support network. It was a pleasure to work with Stephanie, who collaborated with us well to ensure the evaluation output met all of our needs. It is a complex project with multiple stakeholders, including families with children with undiagnosed conditions. The purpose, scope and detail of the project were understood very well, and Stephanie liaised well with all our team and external stakeholders, including the potentially vulnerable families that our project aims to help. This resulted in a clear, impactful report which has been an immensely useful document both internally and externally.” – Nick Meade, Policy Director

Charity Fundraising Ltd were appointed to evaluate the achievements, outputs and outcomes of the Community Advice Network (CAN) for Chiltern and South Bucks, funded by BLF Advice Services Transition Fund.

The Community Advice Network (CAN) is a partnership of major advice agencies to provide a single point of contact for clients seeking help. It was designed as a client focussed service with the aim of transforming the provision of advice in Chiltern and South Bucks.

Our charity consultants used the following methods to evaluate the project:

• Analysis of Petra data – Petra is a national database used by all CABs to log client contacts and cases
• Analysis of CAN project statistics
• Service User satisfaction questionnaire
• Service User impact questionnaire
• Partner agencies questionnaire
• Project Staff interviews

Both an interim evaluation report and final evaluation report were produced. The interim report detailed how the outcomes had been met to date with suggestions of how any outcomes not currently met could be met by the end of the project. The final evaluation report detailed how the outcomes had been met and recommendations for future project developments.

Feedback after Interim Evaluation Report

“Everyone is very happy with the report and thinks that it is very professional, so many thanks, not least for your patience and speed of delivery.” – Jan Ashworth, CAN Project Manager

Feedback after Final Evaluation Report

“An excellent service resulting in a high quality report which truly reflected the achievements and outcomes of the project whilst identifying any areas for change/improvement in future project planning.” – Jan Ashworth, CAN Project Manager