Tools and Training - "Enabling and Empowering"

You Need - Ongoing benefits

We Provide - The tools and training for sustainable solutions

In our view, clients should gain an on-going benefit from research and evaluation activities. We therefore leave the client with tools and resources which can add significant value to activities in the future.

We are experienced at bringing together data and opinion into measurable performance indicators, building systems around these indicators and then rolling out training, support and development so that actions are measurable, strategically aligned and valued. This allows an empirical economic basis for project and programme analysis, bringing in concepts such as Strategic Added Value, Deadweight, Displacement and Multiplier effects, and of course allows for cost / benefit analysis.

We have worked with a range of clients, across sectors, to build capacity within organisations. This has included:

• Sustainable monitoring and self-evaluation frameworks. Our emphasis is on developing systems that are bespoke, but crucially, are uncomplicated and can be used with minimum fuss by non-specialists;

• Delivering high-quality training on relevant subjects such as strategy development, objective setting, monitoring and evaluation and community consultation.

Our reports, performance measurement tools and training are practical and easy to use at different levels, from community members and beneficiaries through to strategic level stakeholders. One toolkit and training programme that Wavehill has developed is designed specifically to up-skill members of the community and to engage them in the consultation process; adding to the quality of the research and adding value to the consultation. All community interviewers undergo in-depth training, which enables them to develop questionnaires and undertake interviews within their own community from a confident, informed position.

This way of working enables us to overcome traditional barriers to engagement. Wavehill has found members of the local community more receptive and open to interview when it is undertaken by another member of their community - they feel more included in the process than if it was being undertaken by 'outsiders' and it often gives socially excluded groups a 'voice' who may not be reached by other methods.

Wavehill undertakes community consultation by employing a mentoring process, where all local interviewers are accompanied by a mentor (either an experienced Wavehill Community Interviewer or the Trainer). This enables the local interviewer to feel supported throughout the consultation and means there is someone on hand with help or advice at all times.

Our clients feedback indicates the inherent value in the provision of tools and training;

"The initial work undertaken by Wavehill was primarily about reviewing our monitoring and evaluation arrangements, designing a system to capture progress against our objectives and training staff in the use of the system. This worked very well - we are very pleased with the system and look forward to implementing it with the support of a new Monitoring and Evaluation officer. The training was very well received and Wavehill also worked with our thematic teams to assist in the development of SMART objectives and to advise on indicators and data collection - again this was found to be really useful (and practically applicable)"

Projects

• Save the Children

  An evaluation report which lead to monitoring systems, KPI database and training.

  Client: Save the Children Wales Programme

• Children's Workforce Development Council

  New method, system and completed set of data for occupational employment rates across England.

  Client: Children's Workforce Development Council

• Partners in Salford

  Ethnicity monitoring system, data set, database, research and training.

  Client: Salford City Council

• Merythr Gurnos Estate

  An evaluation that lead to community consultation and 5 local people trained to facilitate consultation.

  Client: Merthyr County Borough Council

• Establishing Baseline Indicators and Developing a Performance Measurement Framework

  Cardigan and South Ceredigion Regeneration Plan - Objective 1

  A commission to 'support the development of the performance framework in relation to the collection of baseline data and local survey work' based on the Cardigan and South Ceredigion Regeneration Plan.

  Client: Welsh Development Agency