Humankind commissioned ERS to evaluate the Step Forward Tees Valley Programme (SFTV). SFTV’s overall objective is to support people with multiple and complex barriers to move closer to employment or training. The programme is part of the national Building Better Opportunities (BBO) Programme jointly funded by the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) via the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA). An interim evaluation report was produced in January 2022.

ERS was tasked with objectively assessing programme performance and impact, particularly in relation to participants, programme design and management and value for money including analysis of wider socioeconomic impacts. This aspect of the evaluation was designed to complement self-evaluation undertaken by the programme team, so as to highlight additional learning and opportunities for improvement.

 Secondary analysis of monitoring data was undertaken combined with longitudinal primary research. As part of our research, ERS has consulted with a study sample of 90 participants at multiple occasions to track progress over time, in line with interim and final reporting cycles. Participant interviews follow a semi-structured format, and ERS has produced a final evaluation report as well as several supplementary materials for dissemination. Within the final report, ERS provided an overview of emerging best practice, recommendations for the programme management and delivery teams, and progress against targets and programme outcomes (broken down by towns within the Tees Valley Combined Authority – TVCA).