Independent evaluation of SRN |
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| Tuesday, 18 January 2011 |
An independent evaluation of the Scottish Recovery Network has concluded that the Network consistently delivers on its objectives and should continue into the future.  This comes at the same time as the positive news that SRN will be funded for another year, to March 2012. The independent evaluation was conducted by Griesbach and Associates from September 2009 to October 2010. The aim was to assess the effectiveness and impact of SRN and the extent to which it provides value for money. In doing so, the report focuses on the Network’s four main objectives and the activities/projects undertaken to achieve these. Jenny Graydon, GAMH Chief Executive and Chair of the SRN Strategy Group says: "I am really delighted to see that the value of SRN has been recognised in the evaluation and in the continued funding from the government. As a local community organisation, we have found SRN an essential resource that assists us to develop a recovery approach in all that we do. SRN has achieved so much in a short time span and this is down to the quality of the team and leadership." The evaluation found that SRN has had a positive impact in terms of awareness-raising, through a wide range of activities from conferences and other events to producing and distributing reports and e-publications. Many professionals have said that SRN had influenced and reinforced their knowledge and practice. SRN’s Narrative Research Project, carried out in 2005, is widely cited as one of its biggest successes. By providing a powerful source of qualitative data on the factors that help and hinder recovery in Scotland, it greatly contributes towards developing a national evidence base for recovery. The evaluation notes that SRN's activities to build capacity in communities is perhaps the most challenging area of our work, but that evidence clearly shows the Network has consistently and systematically sought to overcome these challenges. WRAP in particular was identified as being one of SRN’s biggest successes, as evidenced by previous evaluations. There is also positive feedback on the support and assistance provided by SRN to Local Recovery Networks. SRN's development of the SRI (Scottish Recovery Indicator) is judged to be a positive step towards influencing service culture and change towards a more recovery approach, whilst recognising the complexity of challenges involved. The evaluation also finds that SRN (with NHS Education for Scotland) has played a major role in developing a national framework for training in recovery-based practice. The evaluators note that there is work that remains to be done and recommend that SRN continue beyond 2011. Amongst others, there are some groups that have not yet been fully reached by awareness-raising, and further action is recommended to encourage development and roll-out of the SRI. Nigel Henderson, Penumbra Chief Executive and SRN Strategy Group member notes: "The development of the Scottish Recovery Network proved to be an exciting challenge when we first started discussing it in 2001. This evaluation tracks the achievement of the SRN and shows how a number of our original aims have been achieved. It is tremendous to see how many professionals, service users, carers and organisations have taken up the message of recovery. I realise there is still much to be done but many great things have been achieved. "The important task now is to keep up the momentum, focus on those areas where the recovery message has not been recognised and to grow both support and capacity within people to promote service changes that reflect a recovery focus." The reports other principle recommendations are that:
"I'd particularly like to recognise the support of our funder, the Scottish Government and also that of our host agency, Penumbra. For both developing and supporting SRN came with its own risks and challenges but throughout they have given the space, time and flexibility required for the principles and values that underpin recovery to become a central part of our approach to mental health in Scotland." To access the full evaluation report:  Evaluation of the Scottish Recovery Network (1.04 MB)To access an executive summary: Evaluation of the Scottish Recovery Network - Summary (150.79 kB) Comments (0)
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