Guidance for third sector organisations on developing capacity for evaluation.

Are you doing research or evaluation? Decide which using this guidance.

Aesop 1 is a published framework for developing and researching arts in health programmes, that can be used to define and structure your evaluation.

The Evaluation Cycle is discussed in more detail in an academic paper by Daykin et al (2013), available via academic subscriptions.

A review of the literature and a clear demonstration of the evidence for long term health benefits from participating in the arts.

An extensive international literature review commissioned by Arts Council England.

A 2014 review from Arts Council England.

These draw on wide-ranging evidence to derive five actions beneficial to wellbeing: connect, be active, take notice, keep learning, and give. These can also be used as outcome indicators.

Rosalia Staricoff's 2004 review is an invaluable source of information for the sector.

This is an updating of Staricoff's 2004 review by Stephen Clift and Rosalia Staricoff.

Downloadable PDF produced by the Creative and Credible team.

A useful guide to what co-production is and how to develop it.

This is a visual tool to help organisations identify their aims and objectives. Written by the Charities Evaluation Service, the website also contains a wealth of information and tools for evaluation and monitoring.

Democs are a creative method for consultation by the New Economics Foundation.

Guidance to help you if you want to use the Nominal Group Technique for decision-making

Information about Consultation and aims-setting produced by the Creative and Credible team.

A popular tool that helps you to define your path from needs to activities to outcomes to impact, how to describe the change you want to make and the steps involved in making that change happen.

Outcomes are explained in a fact sheet from Arts and Health South West (AHSW): what they are and how to measure them.

This is a guide through Youth Music’s five stages of developing an outcomes framework.

Logic modelling is a framework to enhance program planning, implementation, and dissemination activities. This web resource contains the Logic Model Development Guide and an evaluation handbook.

Realistic evaluation is a form of program evaluation that asks “What works, for whom, in what respects, to what extent, in what contexts, and how?” Find out more by with reading this free chapter from Pawson and Tilly (1997).

A useful guide from the Medical Research Council (MRC).

Extensive but a touchstone reference.

More concise than the BPS’s Code.

From the Royal College of Nursing

The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) has produced comprehensive practical guidelines for researchers (helpful for evaluators too) who are thinking about involving children and young people (CYP) in their research project as participants or in a more active role (2010).

Downloadable PDF produced by the Creative & Credible team.

A useful book if you are thinking of designing your own questionnaire.

Another book that might help when thinking about questionnaire design.

A guide to 'open coding' using the grounded theory approach.

A guide to the use of thematic analysis for analysing qualitative data.

This paper outlines an approach to using thematic analysis and contains useful guidance for evaluators and researchers.

An example of the use of case studies, in an evaluation of Youth Music participants.

If you are writing a project case study rather than about a participant, here is a good example from West Midlands Arts, Health and Wellbeing.

Further examples of arts and health evaluation studies using different designs and methodologies have been undertaken by researchers at the Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health.

The Big Lottery Fund have resources and guides on their evaluation and research pages here, including a guide to Cost Benefit Analysis.

Downloadable PDF produced by the Creative & Credible team.

Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre have an overview of different validated scales and some critique, with further information.

Using a QALY, or a ‘quality‐adjusted life year’ to measure of a person or group’s state of health and quality of life , is explained in this guide by Scottish Medicines

The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) is widely known and used for the monitoring of mental wellbeing in the general population and the evaluation of projects to improve mental wellbeing.

The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is recommended by IAPT for measuring depressive symptoms.

CORE is another quantitative, commonly used validated scale.

(2011) is a US based measurement. You have to register but it is well developed and slightly different to WEMWBS for example.

The User Guide has basic information on how to use the EQ-5D-3L instrument.

Dr Roz Hall’s book (2005), contains a guide to Process Generated Evaluation working creatively with young people in participatory action research. Available from Cornerhouse Books.

Rigorous frameworks that use a storytelling / narrative approach (see also Creative Health CIC’s work with Stafford University for more links and resources.

This is a method of interview in visual sociology that uses visual images to elicit comments, which is helpful if you have both photo documentation and a lot of time to interview.

Also known as participatory photography.

Not a creative approach in itself, social marketing often utilises the arts, such as in this engaging project, Sex and Drugs and Rock and Health, dedicated to using social marketing, entertainment and education to tackle health inequalities and promote health services.

Guidance on setting up and running singing for health groups for people with a range of enduring health issues (dementia, COPD, mental health and Parkinsons), published by the Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health.

More information on a technique for creatively reflecting on the personal and social impact of an art work, created by Froggett et al (2014).

Downloadable PDF produced by the Creative & Credible team.

The Big Lottery Fund have produced an excellent guide - the site map is linked here as their website changes frequently.

Further advice from the Big Lottery Research and Evaluation team is available here.

A handy guide from the University of Regina to thinking about dissemination right from the start of your project.

Downloadable PDF produced by the Creative & Credible team.

A searchable online library housing the key research and evaluation documents on the impact of arts-based projects, programmes and interventions within the Criminal Justice System.

This has a useful section on research with many downloadable reports.

AHSW have a useful research and evaluation collection.

In association with the Sidney de Haan Centre, Nick Ewbank Associates produced a report on Cultural Value and Social Capital, based on a project supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

The Centre researches the potential value of music and other arts in the promotion of well-being and health.

The Centre brings humanities and social sciences perspectives to bear upon an exploration of the human side of medicine.

The UK's longest established arts and health research, advocacy and development organisation.

The AHRC funded a project looking at how to assess Cultural Value.

An Arts Council England funded programme in collaboration with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

The Centre aims to research and advocate, through knowledge exchange and consultancy, the development of projects in the performing arts and wellbeing.

Launched in 2014, this group has so far debated the Care Act, how Arts and Culture can contribute to improving the quality of care and commissioning for Wellbeing.

Launched in 2012, the National Alliance aims to provide a clear, focused voice to articulate the role creativity can play in health and wellbeing.

Issued in 2014.

A new National Excellence Research Centre (like NICE) which is focusing on understanding what we can do to increase wellbeing.

Aims to help many more people have a better later life by identifying evidence of what works and by encouraging change in line with this evidence.

A membership organisation which aims to develop the role of culture in wellbeing and to promote and support arts in health activity across London and nationally.

An information, support and advocacy organisation aiming to encourage and support the arts and health sector across the region.

There are too many blogs and arts in health organisations to mention. As an example, the blog run by Manchester Metropolitan University and written by Clive Parkinson is a good read and a great place to keep updated.

A seminar series with recorded talks and presentations was an outcome of the ESRC-funded Arts, Health and Wellbeing programme and is useful as an overview of thinking within the sector.