Four community groups in East Sussex are trialling a new toolkit designed to demonstrate how their services benefit older people, while helping them identify areas for service improvement. These organisations offer an array of support, ranging from group social activities, wellbeing hubs, and events that foster connection and reduce isolation.
The Community and Voluntary Organisation Evaluation Toolkit (CAVEAT) enables groups to collect useful feedback, aiding them in enhancing the experience for older people, volunteers, partner organisations, and the broader health and care system. By inviting everyone involved to share their perspectives on what works and what could be better, the toolkit helps shape activities and services that boost wellbeing, reduce loneliness, and create a sense of community. Volunteers are recognised for their contributions and encouraged to further develop their skills, as the toolkit highlights the vital role they play.
Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex (ARC KSS) and East Sussex County Council (ESCC), the initiative brings together researchers from the University of Kent’s Centre for Health Services Studies, and public advisor Sarah Carpenter. Together, they will implement and evaluate the impact of the CAVEAT toolkit in the region.
Pilot organisations:
- Age UK East Sussex, which provides a range of services to support older people.
- Just-Friends, which has social meetings across East Sussex to impact the effects of loneliness.
- The Seaview Project, a Wellbeing Hub in St Leonard’s-on-Sea offering a range of support services.
- Friends Altogether in Rother (FAiR), which addresses loneliness and isolation by encouraging friendship, fellowship and fun.
Each organisation will use the CAVEAT toolkit to evaluate the impact of their services, working alongside local authorities, public members, volunteers, and researchers to co-design a framework for measuring outcomes.
Leading the project, Dr Julie MacInnes, ARC KSS Research Capacity Building Lead, said:
“We’re delighted to be working with our voluntary, community and social enterprise partners in East Sussex as we find out how the CAVEAT toolkit works in practice and the difference it makes on the ground.
"We’re excited to consider its potential for national rollout and adaptation for other groups, including children, young people, and individuals facing mental health challenges, so its positive effects can reach even further.”
Further feedback on the toolkit will be collected via an online survey of CAVEAT website users in the Autumn. Project outcomes will be shared in a video, newsletter, and report in the Spring.
Download the CAVEAT project summary.
