Our September InfoExchange focussed on impact and its analysis. We looked at what impact is and why we needed to evaluate it, before moving on to look at strategies used to gather the necessary information. We also looked at the sometimes conflicting needs an organisation may have when collecting data on impact. The strategies discussed looked at look at how we strike the balance between the organisations need for data on impact of its services on the client and the client's need for the service.
We also looked at the impact from the perspective of a student in a university clinic and what could be learned from this and what it could lead to. This led into a discussion on the ways in which impact can be used to inform and influence the debate on provision.
We looked at one model of assessing client vulnerability used in a clinic setting which can in turn be used to evaluate the potential impact that the service could have on their ability to get the issues they present with resolved.
Resources:
Impact and outcomes presentation, Henry Sturm- Impact and outcomes presentation, Eve Haynes and Richard Owen
Our thanks to our speakers: Eve Haynes, Richard Owen, Henry Sturm and Sue Wardell.