Local Government Professionals WA Evaluation Framework and Toolkit

Community Development Officers working in local government are interested in making a difference in their communities however they often lack the tools and resources to know and document the difference they make.

The Centre for Social Impact UWA has partnered with a group of community development officers (facilitated through Local Government Professionals WA), to develop an evaluation guide that is a tailored response to their needs.

This guide provides evaluation basics that can be effectively used within many different settings. It is also an important step towards creating a more systemic approach to evaluation across the state-wide network of CDOs working in many local government areas.

The idea is to enable CDOs and managers to understand evaluation foundations, how to apply the basics in a resource constraint environment, and to develop a shared language and understanding about what is possible when evaluating their work.

The guide consists of two parts:

An evaluation framework, providing:

1. An overview of key things to consider when planning and managing an evaluation
2. A foundational approach to undertaking evaluations for community development purposes in local government settings
3. A discussion of main approaches to evaluation and methods that might be most suitable to a real-world local government context

And, an evaluation toolkit providing:

1. Guidance on implementing the evaluation cycle and using different evaluation tools
2. Templates and resources