Monitoring & Evaluation is an important element within the function of Wexford Local Development, as we report to our funders on the work we carry out with clients through a range of dedicated IT systems which provide live updates on current numbers of beneficiaries and levels of activity. These systems include:
- Social Inclusion and Communication Activation Programme – IRIS
- Local Employment Service – BOMi4
- TÚS Programme – One View
- LEADER Programme – currently being developed
In March 2015 WLD embarked on an ambitious project to effectively register, track and measure the progress of individual clients, local community groups, businesses and social enterprises through our programmes. The system formalises referral and caseload management processes and supports a renewed company focus on an integrated approach to working with our clients. WLD went live with our system developed on the cloud-based Salesforce CRM platform on the 1st July 2015. The use of this system means that WLD is unique amongst local development companies in Ireland in our ability to analyse our work in terms of the number of unique individuals and groups that we support and the level of resources, be they one-to-one or group meetings and/or training courses that we invest in each of the clients we work with to help them to achieve their progression goal.
This provides WLD with a powerful reporting tool to monitor and evaluate our work both in terms of the quantity of support given by each programme as well as in terms of the profile of our client group. We believe that this development will give us and, by extension the people and communities we serve, a distinct advantage in terms of our ability to tailor and measure supports offered and to ensure that those supports are having the desired impact. As the system develops we intend to broaden its scope to include measures of value for money as well as a tool to track ‘soft outcomes’ such as increased confidence and knowledge which are important indicators or progress in our work with the most marginalised individuals in our communities.
The Monitoring & Evaluation Team
