A first year impact evaluation for EDAC

What did we do:

The Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC) is a pledge by businesses to support women affected by abuse to enter or re-enter the workplace. Employers are invited to sign the covenant and identify opportunities within their businesses for women seeking sustainable employment opportunities. EDAC takes a partnership approach - aiming to create cross-sector sustainable change.

In its launch year 2021, EDAC commissioned The Social Innovation Partnership (TSIP) to conduct a first year impact evaluation. Since its launch, EDAC has exceeded its own expectations and made a significant impact on the VAWG sector.

How did we do it:

TSIP took a user centred, trauma informed approach to this evaluation. Within our insights and recommendations we traced the journeys of EDAC’s three key stakeholders: clients, members and partners.
We were able to develop a close working relationship with the EDAC team, shaping the evaluation together in an organic, developmental approach.

The first part of our methodology was a systems mapping exercise and Theory of Change development. From here we were able to understand clearly the covenants objectives and outcomes for impact measurement - and deliver a range of data collection methods with stakeholders included, baseline and follow up survey’s, interviews and focus groups.

What was the outcome:

We used our data to analyse against the Theory of Change and other key outcomes. We then produced a report delivered to the EDAC team and presented our findings at the inaugural EDAC winter event.

What did we learn:

It is important to listen to the needs of stakeholders - specifically with a frontline organisation who must prioritise delivery. With a delivery organisation, there is also an increased pressure on capacity and time so all data collection methods must be flexible and arranged around the needs of staff and partners. When working with stakeholders who have had traumatic experiences, it is important to ensure that your approach is focused around their needs and recovery.