Herefordshire Cultural Partnership is seeking an external evaluator to assess the impact of the Our Place programme, which will run from 2024 to 2027. With a budget of £15,000, this role is crucial in assessing how the programme enhances community health and wellbeing through creative initiatives.
Employment Type: This is a contract-based opportunity for an external Evaluation Consultant.
Contract Value: The total contract value for the evaluation is £15,000.
Contract Length: The contract will run from October 2024 - May 2027.
Location: The work will be based in Herefordshire, with a focus on Leominster, South Wye (Hereford City), and the Golden Valley.
Required: Access to a car for work use. DBS Certificate. Public Liability Insurance.
Start Date: October 2024
Our Place will deliver transformative, place-based cultural programming that improves lives in Leominster, South Wye (Hereford), and the Golden Valley. The programme will make a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of Herefordshire, enhancing health, well-being, and community spirit through the arts.
The project is led by the Hereford Cultural Partnership (HCP) and delivered by three established local cultural organisations, Leominster Cultural Consortium, Rural Media, and Meadow Arts. They will collaborate with local communities to create and showcase live performances, digital content, and visual art.
The Our Place programme is generously supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and match funding from Herefordshire Council under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Public Health.
Evaluation Brief
Throughout the programme the evaluator will:
- Provide a comprehensive overview of the programme.
- Identify key findings, successes, and challenges.
- Measure the programme’s impact against its stated goals.
- Offer actionable recommendations for future cultural development.
The evaluator will work closely with the Our Place Programme Manager and the Our Place Delivery Partners, supported by local experts in arts, health, and wellbeing. The evaluation process will involve collecting unbiased feedback from participatory experiences, both live and online; analysing creative outputs to demonstrate positive community changes; and embedding reflective evaluation practices from the project's outset through to its completion.
This evaluation is vital to tracking progress and ensuring the long-term success of the "Our Place" programme.
Evaluation Scope
The independent evaluation will focus on the following key areas:
- Embedding Creative Programmes: Assessing the integration of creative programmes into community health and wellbeing initiatives across Herefordshire.
- Participant Health and Wellbeing: Evaluating changes in health and wellbeing among participants.
- Practitioner Skills and Networking: Monitoring the development of skills and networks among practitioners involved.
- Cost Benefit: Cost-benefit analysis, QALYs (Quality Adjusted Life Years) or SROI (Social Return on Investment).
- Unplanned Impact: Identifying any additional unforeseen impacts of the project.
Data Collection and Feedback
The Evaluation Consultant will develop an Evaluation Framework with input from lead cultural delivery organisations (Delivery Partners), community leads, and the health sector to enable delivery partners to gather audience data and feedback that monitors changes in participants' health and well-being and connections to their identity and place. This will be achieved through data collection at the start, during, and after the project, alongside assessing the overall quality of the work. The Evaluation Framework will need to align with the requirements of Arts Council England’s Place Partnership Programme, Herefordshire Council’s UKSPF Investment Plan, the wider Public Health Outcomes Framework and the Herefordshire Public Health implementation plans.
This framework will be shared widely to communicate the project's aims and intended changes. It will detail:
- Data Collection Methods: Including surveys, focus groups, observation, participation and audience engagement numbers, informally given testimonies and data analysis.
- Indicators of Progress: Such as ratings, reported new skills, improvements in health and wellbeing metrics, and press coverage.
- Results Sharing: Through live and digital presentations, annual reports, website and social media content, newsletters, and cross-sector network events.
Year 1 Focus
The first year will test principles and enable embedded creatives to understand communities better, helping to shape the project's direction for the remaining two years. Evaluation and learning will be intrinsic to the project's structure, allowing for testing new approaches, using innovation, and trialling different activities to develop a sustainable model for long-term county-wide practice. This will include understanding the differing needs of peri-urban, market town, and rural communities.
Expected Outcomes of Our Place
By the end of the three-year project, we expect to have:
- Used arts & culture to address health and social inequality, particularly impacting children, young people (CYP), and elders in all three locations.
- Fostered pride in place across all three locations.
- Trialled new approaches that draw on cross-sector innovation, particularly linking arts, health, and wellbeing with social prescribing networks and the Local Authority Talk Community network countywide.
- Delivered new skills, training, and volunteering opportunities for communities and facilitators, enhancing social mobility.
- Developed sustainable community arts provision delivery models for Herefordshire.
- Created an exemplary project of creative programming, analysis, and consultation that can be disseminated and employed by rural communities across the UK.
Evaluation Report
Upon completion of the programme, the Evaluation Consultant will collaborate closely with the Programme Manager, Delivery Partners and Steering Groups to develop a comprehensive Evaluation Report. This report will synthesise data collected throughout the three years, providing a detailed analysis of the project's impact on community health and wellbeing, participant experiences, and practitioner development.
The report will include quantitative and qualitative findings, highlighting key successes, challenges, and unplanned impacts. Additionally, it will offer actionable insights and recommendations for the continuation of this project and future projects, ensuring that the knowledge gained can inform and enhance similar initiatives. An illustrated one-page information graphic summary sheet that highlights key data in a bold and colourful way would enable HCP and other partners to use programme findings and share widely via social media and online.
The Evaluation Report will be shared with stakeholders, including community members, health professionals, and cultural organisations, to demonstrate the value of the programme and guide ongoing and future efforts in community health and wellbeing.
Methods for Application
Interested applicants should submit their proposals by 22nd September 2024.
Proposals should include:
- A detailed methodology outlining the approach to evaluating the key areas identified in this brief.
- A timeline for conducting the evaluation over the three-year period.
- A CV highlighting relevant experience, particularly in community-based arts, health, and wellbeing evaluations.
- Examples of previous relevant experience.
- A budget breakdown demonstrating how the £15,000 will be allocated.
- Contact details for two references who can speak to the consultant's previous work.
Please submit your application as one PDF document to ourplace@the-shire.co.uk with the subject line "Our Place Evaluation Consultant Application."
Herefordshire Cultural Partnership is committed to diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds and identities. Applicants are asked to complete an anonymous Equal Opportunities Survey, which will help us to ensure diversity and inclusion within our hiring process.