STAGE EIGHT – EVALUATING YOUR CONSULTATION EXERCISE

STAGE EIGHT – THE SUMMARY

This box gives you a brief summary of the main points in this stage. Click on the links below to find out more information on each point.

8.1 WHY EVALUATE?
8.2 PARTICIPANTS’ EVALUATION OF CONSULTATION EXERCISES
8.3 BASIC EVALUATION - QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF EVERY TIME
8.4 THE ACID TEST – THE EFFECT OF THE CONSULTATION
8.5 STRATEGIC EVALUATION OF CONSULTATION OUTCOMES AND PROCESS
8.6 INDEPENDENT EVALUATION
8.7 COMPLETE PART THREE OF YOUR PROJECT PLAN
8.8 SHARE WHAT YOU LEARN
8.9 REMEMBER - KEY POINTS IN STAGE 8

8.1 WHY EVALUATE?

Evaluating consultation exercises can help you to:

• Find out what worked and what did not
• Uncover unexpected outcomes
• Apply learning to improve future practice
• Know whether involving the public actually contributes to improved decision making
• Assess whether the exercise was cost effective in terms of time and resources

(from – Cabinet Office – Code of Practice on Consultation)

How you will evaluate should be considered at the planning stages of a consultation exercise. Emphasis should be placed on ensuring that evaluation is:

• Done in good time
• Is cost effective
• Proportional to the scale of the project  
• Has adequate resources invested in it

Evaluation is easier when good practice, as set out in this Toolkit, has been followed.

8.2 PARTICIPANTS’ EVALUATION OF CONSULTATION EXERCISES

You should always offer participants an opportunity to comment on your consultation exercise/process. The way you do this will vary according to the method that you have used. Different stages on the ladder of participation offer different levels of participation and involvement to consultees. The questions you ask about your exercise will need to reflect this               . Checklist 8.A - Participants Evaluation of Consultation Exercises offers a range of questions that you could consider asking participants.

The West Midlands Regional Network for User & Carer Involvement has developed a “Consultation Matrix – A Measuring Tool for User and Carer Involvement within Social Services  (36.00 KB)“.Click on the link to see a copy. Others may be able to adapt this for their use.

8.3 BASIC EVALUATION - QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF EVERY TIME

The Checklist 8.B - Basic Evaluation – Questions To Ask Yourself Every Time is a basic list of questions that you should answer after carrying out any consultation exercise. Working through these will help you to evaluate what happened and learn for next time. Remember to retain your evaluation on file as it may be needed for audit purposes.

8.4 THE ACID TEST – THE EFFECT OF THE CONSULTATION

The key question: “Has anything changed as a result of the consultation?” At the end you need to be able to measure whether:

• You got views that you could use
• You have actually used those views
• The consultation has led to some identifiable change in your service or policy
• The consultation has changed the relationship between you, your users and others

8.5 STRATEGIC EVALUATION OF CONSULTATION OUTCOMES AND PROCESS

The Checklist 8.C - Strategic Evaluation of Consultation Outcomes and Process developed by the Audit Commission will assist managers to take a more strategic approach to the evaluation of consultation. It offers managers and those seeking an overview of activity an evaluation process that considers both process and outcome. It is particularly useful when trying to balance the costs involved with the outcomes achieved.

8.6 INDEPENDENT EVALUATION

In some circumstances, for example where there has been a lot of external criticism of a particular project, you may want to consider commissioning an independent evaluation of your exercise. External evaluation may increase the legitimacy of the findings. If you intend to go down this route please contact the Research & Intelligence Unit Tel 01905 766715 for further advice.

8.7 COMPLETE PART THREE OF YOUR PROJECT PLAN

Don’t forget to complete Part Three of your Project Plan – this is where you lodge the lessons learned from your evaluation so that you can improve what you do next time

8.8 SHARE WHAT YOU LEARN

The - "Ask Me! – Consultation Planner & Finder” has a check box for you to complete when you have carried out your evaluation

Consider logging the outcomes of your evaluation on to the 'Good Practice' area of the SID Consultation website. This provides a valuable opportunity to share good practice and learn from our mistakes.

Don’t forget to share your evaluation with stakeholders and partners as appropriate.

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