GRACE Evaluation

Based in East Dunbartonshire, Group Recovery Aftercare Community Enterprise (GRACE) is a membership organisation and charity that supports people who have experienced life traumas. It offers a diverse range of weekly activities for members, including fitness classes, skills development, and social events. At the core of its approach is peer-led support, where members support one another through life's traumas, building self-esteem and resilience.

GRACE identified a need to better capture the impact they were making through their work - on their service users, the wider community, and health and social care partners. We were commissioned to work with GRACE to review their existing monitoring and evaluation and undertake a socio-economic impact assessment.

We collaborated with staff and volunteers from GRACE to better evidence the impact GRACE is making within their community. A range of activities were undertaken as part of this evaluation:

• Secondary data analysis was conducted on a range of data from GRACE, including anonymous referral data, annual reports, and survey results. 
• A new survey was then co-designed to capture the impact on a range of outcomes, including health, well-being, and social connectivity.
• Utilising unit cost estimates for Health and Social Care services, a mini-economic impact assessment was conducted which estimated the potential cost savings related to the reduction in use of specific key statutory services.
• Primary and secondary data were combined and analysed, with recommendations based on key findings developed to inform the future work of GRACE.

A guidance template for Monitoring & Evaluation and an impact evaluation that demonstrated a range of social and economic outcomes being delivered by GRACE across West Dunbartonshire, e.g. an estimated 2873 fewer appointments/support requests for NHS health and social care partners as a result of having GRACE support.