What Do We Mean By Evidence?

When making decisions in the delivery of regeneration we often have to answer important questions such as 'Who is it we are trying to help?', 'Where should we focus our help?', 'When is the best time to do it?', 'Why should we do it one way rather than another?' and 'Is what we're doing working?'

Evidence provides us with answers to these questions and is therefore essential in making good decisions for effective delivery of the Neighbourhood Renewal process.

Evidence can be both numerical (e.g. "27% of people living in this area are unemployed") or narrative (e.g. "local unemployed people say they want to work but that they are not qualified enough to apply for jobs in their area")

Evidence can tell us about whether our regeneration activity is effective (eg. "After running employment skills training in the area for 2 years, 300 people in the area came off benefits and started work, and the local unemployment rate fell by 43%").

Evidence can tell us about specific excluded groups (e.g. "Whilst the unemployment rate in the area has fallen by 43% in the past 2 years, the rate of unemployment for Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) groups has increased by 15%")

Evidence can help us target our delivery more effectively (e.g. "Most unemployed people from BME groups said the reason they failed to get work was due to language difficulties")

Evidence can be data, information, knowledge or understanding. Data when analysed and organised into meaningful Information can provide us with answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions. Knowledge applies this data and information to answer the "how" questions and Understanding enables an appreciation of "why".

Evidence is essential for intelligent and effective delivery of strategies, policies, programmes and projects. It is a necessity for effective management and can make or break the success of our efforts to apply funding and resources in tackling the major regeneration issues we face today.

Some things to consider when selecting evidence....

Validity

Indicators

Geography

Time

Communication