GRACE Evaluation

Kirkintilloch | 2024 | Commission

Background

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.

Need for Support

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. Community Enterprise were commissioned to work with GRACE to review their existing monitoring and evaluation and undertake a socio-economic impact assessment. 

What we Did

Community Enterprise 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.

 

Outcomes

A guidance template for Monitoring & Evaluation and an impact evaluation that demonstrates 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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Impact Evaluation

Template to record impact better moving forward

BACK TO LISTING

"Absolutely amazing mini evaluation and expressed the value of our organisation to our members, the process was so professional and having a totally independent evaluation was so informative to our organisation"

GRACE