I have conducted many process, outcome, formative and summative evaluations. My focus is to provide useful learning to inform and improve service design, delivery and practice. Precise aims and methods of all evaluations are developed closely with commissioners.
Hope for the Young evaluation 2024
I evaluated Hope for the Young‘s (HftY) mentoring, advocacy and grants services to support young asylum seekers and refugees. The evaluation found that this marginalised and vulnerable group faced multiple challenges, and had many needs, including the effects of severe trauma. HftY’s package of support was found to be comprehensive. The young people and the professionals who had referred them reported that they benefited greatly from HftY’s emotional, educational and practical input and felt more integrated in UK society. They particularly valued knowing there was someone they could turn to for support and who cared for them. Volunteer mentors reported many positive outcomes too and they welcomed the opportunity to support this marginalised and typically demonised, group. More. Full report and summary report.
Welfare rights advice in Hackney health settings (2023-24)
City & Hackney Pubic Health commissioned an evaluation of the effectiveness of the legal welfare advice services they fund in 8 GP surgeries in Hackney. The evaluation explored the enablers, challenges and outcomes from co-locating advice in health settings. The evaluation found that this service was well-established, was efficient, effective, embedded, well-targeted, improved access to advice and was highly valued and popular among health staff and patients. Over 2022-23, 700 people got advice and /or advocacy on 1700 issues. Most were disabled and /or had long-term heath conditions. Issues included housing law, benefits, immigration, debt. All levels of advice need were covered: from identifying entitlement and making initial claims, to challenging erroneous decisions. As well as increasing incomes and resolving previously intractable problems, patients noted improvements in their mental and physical health. The evidence indicated that they were unlikely to have got advice or legal redress otherwise. More here. Final report. Summary .
City & Hackney VCS Health and Care Enabler evaluation (2023)
The VCS Health and Care Enabler was set up to improve collaboration across the diverse local VCS and multiple local health and care systems in City & Hackney. It built on the VCS’s reach into and trust among diverse communities in order to get their input to the NHS restructuring. Statutory organisations were keen to engage with Black and other minoritised groups, not least because of the evidence around health inequalities. These and the advantages of collaborating with the VCS had been highlighted during the pandemic. This evaluation helped develop a robust theory of change, found and shared perspectives from the different stakeholders, and helped develop priorities going forward. Summary Report
Evaluation of public health and VCS collaboration to better target mental health support (2022-23)
With Bristol University I evaluated a community mental health initiative funded by LB Haringey Public Health. This programme supported and funded small, local, VCS agencies working with diverse, marginalised, communities, known to have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and to be at high risk of poor mental health, but also less likely to access preventative and first-tier mental health services. Our evaluation found that community organisations were ideally placed to identify and respond to the needs of people who otherwise may not get support, for various reasons, not least information, stigma and trust/mistrust of statutory authorities. The evaluation highlighted several helpful learning points for future programmes. Summary report
VCS and Public Health collaboration to improve COVID-19 services for disadvantaged communities (2021-22)
This evaluation found that the collaboration between the City & Hackney Public Health, Hackney CVS and Volunteer Centre Hackney, prompted by the pandemic was a highly effective way for health bodies to reach minoritised and marginalised groups. Many of these VCS were small. They and their communities benefitted from quite modest funding as well as bespoke outreach, up to date COVID-19 information, training, support and networking and improved access to vaccines. The evaluation provided useful pointers.
“From the very start of the project Berni sought to prioritise relationships with the wider team in order to build trust and a genuine understanding of project delivery”
Sian Davies, Head of Strategic Programmes /
Pennaeth Rhaglenni Strategol, Mencap Cymru
Examples of earlier evaluations
- Process and outcome evaluation of an innovative Mencap Cymru project – Our Social Networks (OSN) ( 2018-21), which collected oral histories from young adults with learning disabilities. These narratives illustrated the critical importance of friendships and relationships plus the huge challenges people face in exercising their human rights to meet others and have friendships and relationships. Summary here; full report .
- Evaluation of multi-agency, multi-programme, early intervention pilot for children who have severe learning disabilities and behaviour that challenges. It built on a ‘positive behavioural support model‘, developed by the Challenging Behaviour Foundation and others. The pilot showed the benefits of close collaboration between NHS family carers, learning disability charities and universities. Summary and full report
- Evaluation of an innovative training programme by the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, to improve professionals’ awareness of the relationship between CSA and later mental health problems and substance misuse among adults.
- An innovative specialist service supporting people experiencing stalking and harassment.
- Contact’s welfare rights advice service for families with disabled children. Executive summary and full report.
- Lambeth Early Action Partnership, a multi-agency, multi-faceted family support programme, funded by Big Lottery.
- A trial of an online tool to support mental health support for children and young people.
- Our Rights Our Voice, a Department of Health funded project to improve awareness among disabled children and young people of their rights when using NHS services.
- The participation of disabled young people in the VIPER project
- A MIND project, which trained young people to provide peer-to-peer mental health support.
- An NHS project working with families to tackle childhood obesity in west London.
- An NHS project to promote breast feeding, exploring fathers’ role and experiences.
- Piloting community-based, eye healthcare treatment, for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and RNIB.
- REAL: programme to help families understand and promote young children’s literacy .
- A local history inter-generational Heritage Lottery projected focusing on immigration, personal narratives, international cuisine and food markets in East London.
- Prince’s Trust projects aiming to increase their engagement with young Muslims
“The team all felt that the evaluator quickly understood the complexities of the service and the unique issues this client group presented.”
Changing Pathways