What makes a good evaluation? Why are some evaluations useful and some found to be disappointing? Opinions vary widely amongst evaluators and commissioners. This event will bring together two experts from the field, each of whom will give their view on what are the must-haves for high-quality evaluation.

Jane Lewis is Director of research in practice – the leading research utilisation and implementation project in children’s services which works to support evidence-informed practice. She will draw on work she carried out with colleagues for the Cabinet Office – drawing up a framework by which the quality of qualitative research used in evaluations could be assessed. 

Helen Simons is Professor Emeritus of Education and Evaluation at the University of Southampton. She will address quality from the point of view of evaluation as a social practice, including a consideration of what we mean by quality, building the 'right' relationships and the ethics of how we handle conflicts of power and principles in the field.

The presentations will be followed by small discussion groups on how to determine quality and the question of whether or not we need formal methods of assessment. These will feed into a plenary discussion of key challenges and possible solutions, based on shared experience of evaluations commissioned, reviewed or used. 

There will also be time for informal networking!
 
Registration will be from 5:30pm with the main session starting promptly at 5.45pm. Refreshments and opportunities for networking will be available from 7.45pm onwards.

The event costs £35.25 for UKES members, £58.75 for non-UKES members. Booking and confirmation of booking are essential as places are limited.

In order to attend, please complete the REGISTRATION FORM.