Evaluation Review and Recommendations Brief

We’re looking for a dynamic and experienced person or team who can help lead us through the project, starting in September 2023. The project brief (below) has further details, the deadline for proposals is 5pm on Tuesday 18 July.  

June 2023    

1. Summary of the proposal  

We’re looking for an experienced consultancy to review the impact of our grants and support with a group of people who have received ongoing support from Turn2us for 10-20 years, and who continue to receive support as part of our legacy.  

We need a dynamic team, who will explore this review sensitively, balancing the welfare of the individuals in this group with our commitment to new and equitable ways of working.  The appointed agency will be asked to present evidential findings, analysis and informed recommendations for the future.  

2. Background and Context  

Turn2us is a national charity providing free online tools and resources to support people experiencing financial insecurity, enabling them to make informed decisions, improve their incomes and connect with local sources of support.  We also provide financial support to individuals through cash grant programmes.  

Over the last 3 years, we have been on a journey to review our organisational strategy and purpose, to ensure we are reaching those people most impacted by financial insecurity, and embedding equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging into all our work.  

This has led to us starting to openly challenge discrimination and inequity within our work, through the evaluation and redesign of our tools, resources and grant programmes.  It has also led to a stronger programmatic way of working, focusing on impact, and with the recognition that cash grants have an important role to play, but are most impactful alongside wider support.  

Our new 2023-2028 strategy “Tackling Financial Insecurity Together” can be downloaded from our website https://www.turn2us.org.uk/About-Us/Values-and-Strategy.    

3. The Brief  

This project is underpinned by three key objectives –   

• To gain a better understanding of the impact providing ongoing grant support has had, and continues to have, for people experiencing financial insecurity;   

• To consider the wider needs of the group currently in receipt of ongoing grants and what additional support they may need to help overcome financial insecurity;   

• To be able to make informed decisions on the future direction of this area of our work.   

This review will feed into a wider shift in our ways of working that helps us to learn how we can make our grants more impactful.  Specifically, how do we empower people to gain long-term financial security, what role can our grants play and how can we enable people to thrive, without encouraging dependency on financial aid?  We will use these learnings to inform both our wider work and our decisions on how we best support our ongoing grantees going forwards.  

There are approximately 550 people who continue to receive ongoing support from Turn2us, in the form of cash grants and in some cases casework support/signposting.  We refer internally to this group as ‘ongoing grantees’.  Of this group, the majority are supported through one of our main programmes, the Elizabeth Finn Fund, with 130 supported through the geographically based Edinburgh Trust and 6 through a third-party fund managed by Turn2us on behalf of the Arthur Hurst Will Trust.   

The project will be led internally by the National Grants Team in collaboration with the Edinburgh Trust and with support from other Turn2us expert colleagues, who together will form an Advisory Group to support the process.  The appointed agency will help to lead us through the review in a way that is person-centred and mindful of safeguarding and the duty of care we hold for this portfolio of grantees.  

We anticipate this could be a complex project, as the historical nature of the grants may present challenges in terms of available data and narrative.  An understanding of the time and context in which these grants were first awarded will need to be considered alongside how they align with our work today.  

In order to consider the three key objectives, we will need to understand the demographics, characteristics and experiences of this group better. We are open to interpretations of the best methodological approach to respond to the brief, however we anticipate a substantial proportion of the work to be qualitative in nature.  We currently have limited demographic information about the group and would support the appointed agency to gather any further data required.  

4. Questions to Answer  

The evaluation is likely to be an iterative project, completed in stages to help us understand:  

1. What impact has the provision of ongoing grants had (and does it continue to have) for people experiencing financial insecurity?     

Possible lines of enquiry might include:  

• Who makes up the group of ongoing grantees (now and in the past) and what are the key demographics of this group?    

• What were the main reasons for people coming to Turn2us in the first place?     

• How have people experienced the relationship with Turn2us over time?     

• How have people used the grants and what role does the grant play in their lives?     

• What has been the wider impact of the different types of financial support available to people?     

• What difference has long-term financial support made to people’s financial security?     

• Are there any unintended consequences from the grant or the long-term relationship with Turn2us?    

• For grantees who have had the support withdrawn, what impact has this had?    

2. What are the wider financial or support needs of ongoing grantees and how well are the grants (and occasional casework support) meeting those needs?      

Possible lines of enquiry might include:  

• What is the financial and social situation like for ongoing grantees? How has their situation changed over time?    

• How have their needs changed over time?     

• What is most important for people at the current time?      

• Are they receiving other forms of support including benefits or support from other services?     

• What role are Turn2us grants and the relationship with Turn2us caseworkers playing in meeting their financial or support needs?    

• Have they been able to access other financial or wellbeing support as a result of Turn2us tools or signposting information at any given time?     

• If the grants and support were to stop in the future, what impact might this have?     

3. Based on the analysis of impact and deeper understanding of need, what evidence-based recommendations are there for the future of the ongoing grants?    

• A range of options should be presented for the future of the ongoing grants, with consideration given to the welfare of the grantees, to whether this work aligns with our new strategy and purpose, and to any specific obligations we may be tied to through the three programmes (Elizabeth Finn, Edinburgh Trust and Arthur Hurst).  

• Potential benefits and risks of each option from both the grantees and Turn2us perspective.   

5. Outputs and Deliverables      

The successful agency will be expected to:   

• Work collaboratively with the Advisory Group and other stakeholders, including regular meetings and review dates.  

• Create and deliver against an agreed plan and timeframe for the review, to include collection of data and information through surveys and interviews with a sample of ongoing grantees and caseworkers.  

• Provide a written report that includes analysis of findings and recommendations for the future in line with the requirements of the brief. A strong evidence-base should be presented behind any findings.  This will be for an internal audience; with the expectation that a summary version of the report will be published at a later date in support of learning and transparency.     

• Deliver a workshop for internal stakeholders, presenting the findings and exploring in depth the different options for the future of ongoing grants.   

• Provide a slide deck presentation, setting out an overview of the key findings and recommendations for a wider internal audience.    

6. Skills and Experience required  

• Experience of evaluating projects/programmes    

• Knowledge of evaluation methodologies  

• Knowledge and understanding of the charity sector (preferably with knowledge of individual grant-making, information and signposting services)    

• An understanding of the human impact of financial insecurity on individuals and ideally experience in the poverty, financial insecurity or welfare sectors    

• Experience of working with at risk groups   

• Ability to build relationships, gain trust and nurture psychological safety quickly      

• Knowledge and experience of facilitating groups / developing workshops    

• In-depth knowledge and experience of safeguarding and how to keep those you work with safe    

• Deep knowledge of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging and an understanding of how to work in an inclusive way    

7. How to respond to this brief    

 Please respond to this brief in a format of your choosing including:      

• A summary explaining why you are interested in this work and what you feel your agency can bring to the project.   

• A description of how you would approach the work and deliver the Outputs and Deliverables outlined in this brief   

• An indication of how you meet the criteria in the Skills and Experience section  

• Short bios including key skills and experience of the people who will be working on the project  

• Details of / links to previous work carried out of a similar nature   

• A full budget for the project, including VAT (if applicable), the day rate/flat rate for all team members, an estimation of days allocated to the work  

• An estimated timeline for the completion of the work   

• Contact details of two previous clients you have worked with on similar projects  

Please note we would like the project to commence by September 2023 and to be completed by no later than 28 February 2024.    

Please send your proposal via email to Rosie Collingbourne, Grant Programmes Manager, at rosie.collingbourne@turn2us.org.uk.     

The deadline for your response is 5pm on Tuesday 18 July 2023.      

We anticipate a two-stage interview process, with the first round of interviews taking place on Tuesday 25 July 2023 and the second round on Thursday 27 July 2023, both via Zoom.    

For an informal discussion of the brief and wider context, please contact rosie.collingbourne@turn2us.org.uk