<p>Guidance on evaluation for EPiC Demonstrator Sites</p><p>The EPiC Evaluation Model (attached) is provided to demonstrator sites as a guide and is intended to be used flexibly. You can use it to develop your own evaluation plan which is relevant to your local situation and the data sources available. As a minimum, we would expect you to collect a mix of quantitative data (such as numbers attending training) and qualitative data (such as carers’ experiences) from workforce participants and from carers for each stage of the pilot. If you would like support from us to develop your evaluation plan, please contact Gill Ryan: [email protected] or 0131 656 3376.</p><p>What is evaluation for?</p><p>Evaluation helps us to measure how effective a piece of work is and whether it achieves the outcomes it is intended to. It also helps us to learn from and improve our practice. We will use your evaluation data and learning from the EPiC pilot to: a/ measure the effectiveness of the EPiC core principles in practice and make any necessary revisions; b/ share learning with others to help improve practice with carers and young carers; and c/ develop an evaluation methodology to measure the impact of the EPiC core principles on a national level. </p><p>It’s important that we have an accurate picture of the impact of the core principles, and we would like you to report honestly on your experience of using them. This means collecting and reporting to us any negative feedback or lack of impact during the pilot. How to use the EPiC Evaluation Model</p><p>For evaluation to be effective, it needs to be incorporated into your activity from the outset. The model can help you to do this. You should factor in the timescale required for collecting different types of evaluation data and when to include this in progress reports to us. </p><p>Baseline – Begin by identifying what data is available on the current situation before your activity commences. You can then measure any impact against this. </p><p>Short-term – It is fairly straightforward to capture short-term data throughout the pilot, such as post-training questionnaires, and you should include this in interim reports. Remember to leave space on any evaluation form for qualitative feedback rather than just YES/NO answers. To ensure your evaluation captures the widest possible views, consider issues such as literacy, English as a second language, and learning difficulties such as dyslexia.</p><p>Mid-term - You should plan evaluation methods to capture mid-term data in the latter half of the project (Dec 2013-Mar 2014) and include this in the final EPiC report. At this stage, you should begin to see a measurable impact, such as an increase in referrals.</p><p>Long-term - As the duration of the pilot is six months, we don’t expect the longer-term data to be available for the final report. However, if your workforce learning activity is expected to last beyond March 2014, consider collecting this data later as it will provide valuable evidence of the impact of the activity and progress towards outcomes for carers and the workforce. We may request this in 2014-15, if it is available, to contribute to the Scottish Government’s evaluation of the Carers Strategy 2010-15. </p><p>Resources</p><p>There are resources for involving carers in evaluation and using an outcomes-focused approach on the Joint Improvement Team’s website: http://www.jitscotland.org.uk/action-areas/talking-points-user-and-carer-involvement/ </p><p>Evaluation Support Scotland’s website contains a range of tools and methods for capturing evaluation data that aren’t just ‘another boring questionnaire’. http://www.evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/resources/ </p>