EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Evaluation of the South West Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure Early Spend Programme

Evaluation of the South West Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure Early Spend Programme

Introduction

Government Office for the South West (GOSW) was one of the regions that decided to work with the Early Spend Programme, this evaluation aims to establish a baseline for evaluation with projects funded under the South West infrastructure Early Spend programme.

Description

The evaluation hoped to identify:

examples of good practice of working in collaboration and joint working between infrastructure organisations;
show innovations of improvements in the capacity and skills of infrastructure organisations;
innovative working and proven ways of solving issues by doing things differently;
failure and problems in delivery;
additional infrastructure resources and implications;
and value for money.

In addition, it was hoped that information gathered through the evaluation would be of practical value to both the Voluntary and Community Sector, and the Public Sector.

Background information

H.M. Treasury's Cross Cutting Review (CCR) into the role of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) in Service Delivery (2002) identified the lack of capacity and investment in voluntary sector infrastructure.

Recommendations for strengthening the capacity of the sector to deliver public services included the Early Spend Programme (£6.25 million) to support the development of an infrastructure strategy for the VCS in England. Government Office for the South West was allocated £500,000 for VCS organisations to identify how the sector could work better together to support frontline service delivery.

Methodology

The evaluation was comprised from an overview of the programme by studying funded organisations looking at the type of work they were aiming to undertake; and examining progress reports submitted at the end of the funding programme.

A selection of 13 of the 21 organisations funded was studied in depth on the basis of geographical coverage, types of work undertaken, types of client groups covered, sizes of organisations, and collaborative partnerships.

A total of over 70 face-to-face interviews were undertaken. Other organisations and members of the Steering Group were also interviewed.

Conclusions

Please refer to the report for findings that cover the process for delivering the programme, collaborative working, gaps in provision, and new ways of working.

Overall conclusions include the experience of programme delivery in the South West region has been overwhelming positive from the appreciation of the GOSW's approach to the delivery and management of the programme, to the sector's own determination, energy and stoicism at delivering in such a short timescale.

Contact info

Government Office South West
Phone: +44 0117 900 1795
SW-Communications@gosw.gsi.gov.uk

Publication date

Project finished

/08/2004

Researcher

Evaluation Trust – Jan Crawley, Philippa Chapman, Chris Avanti, Anna King, Jenni Wilson

Links

Visit the Government Office South West website

Download the 'Evaluation of the South West Voluntary' Report (PDF, Eng, 676 KB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Quality of life

Keywords

Social services