1. Monitoring & Evaluation of Livingwell
Workshop at Annual Conference

2. Workshop Structure Part 1: Presentation GHK and this study
Challenges facing us
Two possible approaches
The one we used
Part 2: Group Discussion

3. Who are GHK? What are we doing?
Employee-owned research firm
Multi-disciplinary: work in most policy areas
Specialism in evaluation
Local
Livingwell Project:
WMRA
Quarterly monitoring
Ongoing evaluation
Of projects, but at regional level

4. Inherent Challenges All the usual evaluation challenges, plus…
Diversity of projects:
target groups
desired outcomes
interventions
contexts
capacity at project level
The need to ‘add it up’ to regional level:
Inputs (£) are easy…outputs more problematic…outcomes the real challenge

5. One Possible Response & Our Approach
Decide what a wellbeing is
Give projects a tool to measure it
Advantage: can add this up easily (compare approaches??)
Disadvantage: ignores complexity / reality
Our Approach:
From the ‘project up’ (not ‘programme down’)
Based on individual project plans
Guidance and support to projects’ self-evaluation
Backed by some external evaluation

6. Basis of Approach: Theories of Change
Rationale for intervention
(problem / opportunity – and most appropriate response - identified)
Inputs
(what you have)
Impact
(wider societal change)
Activities
(what you do)
Outcomes
(the effect this has)
Do this for each project, then add-up each element ...

7. Applying this Model Project M&E plans: Where does this leave us?
Project-level theory of change
Specific quarterly / annual indicators
Common tools for common outcomes, e.g. Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale
Common outcomes at ‘theme’ level
But – not a blanket approach (e.g. adults with learning difficulties / low project capacity)
Where does this leave us?
Allows aggregation, but retains flexibility
Makes our job more complex, but more like the real world!

8. Final Reflections Needs different skills: Requires a balance between:
More collaborative
More facilitative
Understand constraints facing practitioners
Requires a balance between:
Adding things up (quantitative)
Explaining and learning (qualitative)
Overall, a sound approach - given challenges outlined at start

9. Thank-you for Listening
Questions & Group Discussion