The Evaluation Support Team
Who we are
The Evaluation Support Team is part of the Government Analysis Function. The role of the team is to support the development of professional standards in evaluation.
We do this by working together with other evaluation analysts to:
- develop guidance for best practice in evaluation across government departments
- provide support for evaluation specialists and analysts
- improve analytical capability
What we do
We work with other evaluation specialists and analysts to:
- address the most important challenges and issues in evaluation
- give insight about evaluation gaps and priorities
- develop partnerships to strengthen the relevance and effect of best practice guidance for everyone
- create a stronger evidence base of the most effective evaluation techniques – we do this by identifying and sharing best practice and finding opportunities to work together with other specialists and analysts across government
- promote the use of consistent standards in evaluation
- lead workshops on bespoke evaluation topics
- run shared learning events about best practice
- provide bespoke evaluation support on priority topics
How we can help
We can provide support to help embed evaluation practices within your organisation. This can involve giving advice on:
- building capacity
- developing an evaluation plan
- defining indicators
- collecting data
- consulting external experts
Our stakeholders
We work with all government professional networks. We are open to working with anyone who has an interest in government analysis.
Training
There are several evaluation training courses available. You can find a list of some of the available courses on GOV.UK.
Guidance
There are also many pieces of written guidance that may help you develop your skills in evaluation. You can find a list of some of these resources on GOV.UK.
You may also find the following resources useful:
- the Magenta Book – guidance from His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) about what to consider when designing an evaluation
- the Magenta Book Annex A – guidance about analytical methods for use in an evaluation
- the Government Analytical Evaluation Framework – this is used to assess knowledge and skills needed at each stage of evaluation activity
- a video recording of the ‘Importance of evaluation across government’ webinar from Analysis in Government Month 2021
- a video recording of the ‘Evaluation of Complex Policies’ webinar from Analysis in Government Month 2021
- a video recording of the ‘Evaluating government spending’ webinar from the Centre for the Evaluation of Complexity Across the Nexus (CECAN)
- a video recording of an ‘Introduction to the Magenta Book 2020’ presentation
- a blog post featuring ‘Five things you didn’t know about evaluation’
- a video from the What Works initiative called ‘Empirical Government – Finding out What Works in public policy’
If you would like to share any resources that would be useful for other analysts, please contact us at Evaluation.Support@Statistics.gov.uk.
Other evaluation support
There are several other teams that can provide additional support with your evaluation.
Evaluation Task Force (ETF)
The ETF provide support for whole departments. They can help:
- provide advice and support to HMT Spending Teams, on the evidence and evaluation plans that support department’s spending proposals – this helps to inform HMT spending decisions
- provide advice and support to government departments on designing and delivering robust, impact evaluation
- encourage and challenge departments to be transparent with their data and evaluation plans and findings
- build relationships with important stakeholders across government to promote evidence-based policy – this includes working with the policy, analytical and finance professions
You can find out more about the ETF on GOV.UK. You can email the team at ETF@CabinetOffice.gov.uk.
Cross Government Evaluation Group (CGEG)
The CGEG prompts conversations about demand, supply, and promotion of good practice. They:
- encourage the demand and supply of good quality evaluation evidence in government
- run a cross-disciplinary evaluation group with representation from most major departments
- concentrate on activities that benefit from working together across government
- organise regular networking sessions that encourages members to share good
You can contact CGEG by emailing GESR.Enquiries@HMTreasury.gov.uk. Please include ‘CGEG in the subject line of your email.
Support from Government Professions
The Government Social Research (GSR) Profession and the Government Economic Service (GES) can also offer support with your evaluation.
Contact the Evaluation Support Team
We all have a collective responsibility to use evaluation support resources to their full potential.
If you would like support with your evaluation work you can email the Government Analysis Function at Evaluation.Support@Statistics.gov.uk.