Tag Archive for: independent evaluator uk

The Evaluator Values 

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At The Evaluator, we have always had a clear idea of what we do and why we do it. In 2024, we have clearly defined that with a statement of values.

The values represent who we are at heart, and what we do for our clients, as well as underpinning all of our work.

What are business values?

Business values are described as the core principles and standards that guide a company’s actions, decisions, and behaviours. They represent what a company stands for and are essential in shaping its culture, brand identity, and strategic direction. These values influence how a company interacts with its employees, clients, funders, and the community in general.

By clearly defining and consistently using values, organisations can create a strong, positive culture and a sustainable competitive advantage.

The Evaluator Business Values

 

Image of the evaluator ruler branding and the words creatively simple honest and useful

Our values are shown on the image above and are; Honest, Useful and Creatively Simple.

Core Value for The Evaluator: Honest

Honesty matters to us. When decisions are to be made about data – people need to feel that the results are honest. We need to be honest about how we have collected data – what questions did we ask, and where did we ask them. We are by nature, honest people, who say the truth, and that is the secret to our success. Honesty builds trust, and our clients know we will tell the truth. That means funders can trust our impartial evaluation too, and that has many benefits for our clients when it comes to applying for funding in the future.

Core Value for The Evaluator: Useful

What we are really passionate about is getting our clients to use data to make decisions! We want people to be inspired and enthusiastic about data, and what it can do for organisations. That means, we spend a lot of time focussing on what data people need and how they can use it. We train clients and the organisations we work with on how to collect the correct data, and how to understand the data. We often collect data for people too. What is essential to this value (usefulness), is that we collect the right amount of data which we can use. We do not collect large amounts of data that is stored and never looked at. We collect the right amount of data, which is often less than people expect, and use what we have collected. The secret to powerful data is about how it is analysed and used, not how much of it there is!

Core Value for The Evaluator: Creatively Simple

Data can be complex. We spend a lot of time and energy making it creatively simple for people to work with us. Examples of creatively simple ways to collect data are things like – sticker boards, marbles, hula hoops and giant dice. These have all featured in our work! There can also be creatively simple ways to demonstrate complex results and personal experiences to clients. This is a value that we are always working on in order to improve.

Why did we choose these values?

Founder and Director, Kirsty Rose Parker, explains “We have been working hard behind the scenes on articulating what it is that makes us stand out. Sharing our core values is the first step of this. We have looked carefully at all the steps that make up an evaluation with us. From listening to people at the beginning, to being creative with our methods at evaluation design time. We regularly challenge ourselves on how to be simpler, how to be more creative and also on how our work can be honest and useful. These values are now an everyday part of The Evaluator – helping us to grow as a team, whilst retaining our quality service and products.”

Why do values matter in evaluation?

These are our values, but we also often include client’s values in the evaluations we plan. We have helped clients decide what values work for new projects in the past, and then used those values to form the materials we create for clients. Having a short and memorable set of values is a great way to give new teams a frame of reference for their work. We look forward to a value-driven future creating great partnerships and measuring even more values.

 

If you are interested in measuring your values or helping to define them, then please get in touch on info@theevaluator.co.uk or call 01756 532 538 to book an informal discussion.

If you like what you have read here, but are not yet ready for a discussion, you can keep in touch with us by joining our mailing list or connecting with Kirsty on Linked In.

The link for our mailing list can be found here.

The link for connecting with Kirsty on Linked In can be found here.

New Client: Creative Vision

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New Client: Creative Vision

We are excited to announce we’re evaluating a project with Creative Vision that delves into the rich oral history and heritage of Indian restaurants and the vibrant Bangladeshi community in the UK. Working in Luton, the project aims to capture the experiences of chefs, owners and community members who contributed to Indian Cuisine and culture in the UK.

These experiences will be brought together to create a book, containing real stories and interviews of Indian heritage in the UK.

We’re working with the project to evaluate and measure the impact on audiences, volunteers and participants and share our expertise in working with a wide range of communities.

Cheers to a Festive Break: Wrapping Up a Year of Amazing Projects!

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As the year draws to a close, we reflect on how grateful we are to work with such outstanding clients, providing evaluation and data analysis services throughout the year. It has been our pleasure to have been involved in some of the world-changing positive projects our clients have been working on.

In the spirit of the festive season, the Evaluator team will be taking a break to refresh and recharge during Christmas. Therefore, we would like to inform you that our office will be closed for the holiday period starting from the 22nd of December and will resume operations on the 8th of January.

We appreciate your understanding, and we assure you that we will return in the new year fully revitalised and ready to continue delivering our exceptional service.

 

Below are some of the clients we’ve had the pleasure of working with this year:

 

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

New Client; Ribble Rivers Trust

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The Evaluator is delighted to be working with a new client, The Ribble Rivers Trust.

Ribble Rivers Trust is a UK based charity working to improve, protect and promote the River Ribble for both people and wildlife.  We are based in Clitheroe, an ancient market town at the heart of the Ribble Valley, and work with the public and many organisations to deliver river improvements across the entire Ribble catchment.

We are working with them to summarise a large five year project into one final evaluation. This involves categorising documentation, running statistical analysis, carrying out staff and partner interviews, designing gap analysis materials, and collating all of the information into one, visual and easy to read evaluation. 

Ribble Life Together has been running since 2016 and is a large, complex project, which worked with young people, schools, farmers, scientists, and lots of volunteers and partner organisations too. It’s a big story to tell the impact of. 

NRC Approval

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We are excited to announce we just received approval from the HMPPS/ MOJ National Research Council for our research project evaluation with one of our long term clients. HMPPS stands for Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service and the MOJ is Ministry of Justice. To carry out evaluation work on Prison and Probation property requires formal approval from the NRC and it’s not a simple application process.

In fact, our client, asked us to help out because the process was so complex. We had to answer some additional questions and it did take a while to come through, but here we are. Formal approval received! 

 

Here is an extract from the letter…

 

Dear Kirsty,

 

The National Research Committee (NRC) is pleased to provide final approval for your research project. The terms and conditions below will continue to apply to your research project.

 Please note that unless the project is commissioned by MoJ/HMPPS and signed off by Ministers, the decision to grant access to prison establishments or Probation Service regions (and the offenders and practitioners within these establishments/regions) ultimately lies with the Governing Governor/Director of the establishment or the Probation Service Regional Probation Director of the region concerned. If establishments/regions are to be approached as part of the research, a copy of this letter must be attached to the request to prove that the NRC has approved the study in principle. The decision to grant access to existing data lies with the Information Asset Owners (IAOs) for each data source and the researchers should abide by the data sharing conditions stipulated by each IAO. 

Please note that a MoJ/HMPPS policy lead may wish to contact you to discuss the findings of your research. If requested, your contact details will be passed on and the policy lead will contact you directly.

Please quote your NRC reference number in all future correspondence.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Eve Schofield

National Research Committee