Wellbeing evaluation support

Our Centre creates a learning system that supports the measurement and use of wellbeing data by all organisations, across all sectors.  We work with you to make sure evidence generated through evaluation synthesis reaches decision-makers in an accessible, relevant, and credible way.

Share your evaluation

We will use your wellbeing evaluation to improve the global evidence base on what works. You can upload any wellbeing evaluation report below, along with your email for us to follow up with any questions and keep you informed of how it is being used.

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Get in touch with our evaluation specialists at  evaluation@whatworkswellbeing.org.

What types of evaluation support we offer

We provide evaluation support to government departments, civil society organisations and businesses. You can jump to more details about our three types of evaluation support by clicking any of the links below.

1. Synthesis of evaluation evidence
2. Tools and advice for evaluation
3. Evaluation delivery.

We are a trusted partner

We are an independent organisation, with expertise in:

• wellbeing measures
• advising wellbeing evaluations, and turning evidence into action
• building capacity to conduct evaluations
• evidence synthesis and communicating findings in an accessible way.

We have a highly skilled and reputable advisory panel for quality assurance of outputs. And we are part of an established network of What Works Centres and the Evidence Quarter.

Evaluations help us to know the so what of wellbeing programmes, activities or policies.

• What did we achieve and how?
• What changed because of us?
• Who benefitted? who didn’t?
• What worked? what didn’t?
• How do we tell people about it?

You want to evaluate because you want to:

• know if it works before scaling up
• make a business case for investors
• learn how to maximise impact
• know the mechanisms for impact.

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Read more about the types of support we can offer.

1. Synthesis of evaluation evidence

By synthesising evidence about the wellbeing impact of different programmes, activities or policies, and translating this evidence into accessible products, we look to contribute to the broader evidence base of ‘what works’. 

The synthesis of evidence about wellbeing impact can in turn inform the existing knowledge gaps and inform the design of future interventions.

We use different review methods proportionate to the evidence to be synthesised:

• Conceptual reviews
• Scoping reviews
• Rapid evidence assessments
• Systematic reviews
• Case study analyses 
• Reviews of reviews

The Centre generates most of the wellbeing evidence synthesis for public good. For more information about the way we review and synthesise the evidence, you can access the following resources and examples: 

• A guide to our evidence review methods
• Evidence knowledge bank
• Conceptual Review – What is community wellbeing?
• Scoping Review – Housing and wellbeing
• Rapid Evidence Review – What works to improve wellbeing across different interventions
• Systematic Review – Music, singing and wellbeing
• Review of Reviews – Student mental health interventions

We are particularly interested in synthesising evaluation evidence that involves:

• The use of wellbeing measures as outcome variables.
• The use of specific measures such as ONS4, WEMWBS, loneliness, social capital.
• Use of robust methods for high quality synthesis.

2. Tools and advice for evaluation implementation

We provide a host of tools to build your wellbeing evaluation capacity.  

VCSE Sector	Voluntary sector Advice Surgeries  How to measure your impact on wellbeing? A guide for charities and social enterprises Seven-step guide to estimate wellbeing cost effectiveness with less-than-perfect information
Business Sector	Workplace Wellbeing Question Bank How cost effective is a workplace wellbeing activity? A how-to guide to cost-effectiveness analysis
Government / Policy Analysts	Local Area Wellbeing & Drivers Indicators for UK  A guide to wellbeing economic evaluation  Wellbeing in policy: Exploring issues of measurement and methodology  Measuring Wellbeing Inequalities
All sectors	Wellbeing measures bank

 

We can also assist you with designing and carrying out a wellbeing evaluation, including: 

• Membership of advisory/steering group for advice at all phases of the evaluation process;
• Aligning your evaluation programme theory (or Theory of Change) with available wellbeing evidence and theoretical models;
• Advising on data collection, including selection of wellbeing measures and survey development;
• Peer reviewing interim/final reports by our Advisory Panel of experts;
• Interpreting, communicating and disseminating results to key wellbeing stakeholders and collaborating organisations.

We are particularly interested in advising on the evaluation of programmes or interventions that involve:

• Wellbeing improvement as its main objective;
• A subject area in line with our current areas of work (e.g. working age, relationships or children’s wellbeing);
• Research findings that fill a recognised evidence gap and are generalisable.

3. Evaluation delivery

In addition to an advisory role, our Centre can also deliver impact or outcome evaluations, including:

• Ex-ante
• Interim or mid-term
• Ex-post

We partner with respected and competent evaluation specialists to deliver all the steps of an evaluation, from start to finish, including:

Design phase	Designing a Theory of Change for the programme which identifies inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and expected wellbeing impact. Identifying key evaluation questions and objectives (e.g. evaluate process, impact, and/or cost) Identifying wellbeing outcome measures/indicators (e.g. mental health, stress, happiness, life satisfaction, job satisfaction, etc.) Defining an evaluation design fit for purpose, e.g. randomisation, sample size and sampling technique, attrition, control group set-up, data collection method (quantitative, qualitative) and frequency/schedule of measurement (baseline, midline, endline). Developing measurement instruments for collecting data about outcomes, including pre-test. Ethics risk assessment
Data collection phase	Estimating baseline values (where these values cannot be obtained through evaluation activities) Collecting data at the predefined frequency
Results phase	Analysing data Reporting of results

 

When delivering evaluations, we prioritise the application of robust methods that allow us to generate data strictly on wellbeing impact, such as:

• collecting baseline data from the sample
• designing a control group more (randomly) or less (non-randomly) rigorously
• testing the significance of any change, even in treatment group only
• comparing results between control and treatment groups more (cohen’s d, diff-in-diff) or less (difference in p values) rigorously.

Our evaluation delivery also considers quality assurance from our Advisory Panel of experts to oversee the design and results phase.

We can offer extra support from our communications team should you are interested in further dissemination of results through our social media channels.

We are particularly interested in leading on the evaluation of programmes or interventions that involve: 

• Wellbeing improvement as its main objective;
• A subject area in line with our current areas of work (e.g. working age, relationships or children’s wellbeing);
• A sample of adequate size for the evaluation to be sufficiently powered (e.g. over 100 participants);
• Research findings that are disclosable, generalisable (replicable) and fill a recognised evidence gap.

The timeframe and costs of evaluation delivery are variable, starting at at least two months and £20,000. If you have wellbeing projects for which you are interested in piloting and evaluating, tell us more at evaluation@whatworkswellbeing.org.