Tag Archive for: working with the evaluator

What are the Indices of Multiple Deprivation?

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What are the Indices of Multiple Deprivation?

If you have ever read one of our reports, you’ll likely see reference to something called the Indices of Multiple Deprivation, or ‘IMD’.

We use the IMD as a powerful tool to analyse and understand the barriers and socio-economic status of audiences, participants, and volunteers. We use postcodes to measure the IMD status, and this means that people find it easy to answer. This does mean that we are looking at the household status too.
The results give our clients an idea of which people they are attracting to their projects and what barriers they may be facing in life.

Statistically, people who live within areas of greater deprivation have more barriers in their lives and are less likely to engage with the arts and nature and are more likely to have greater issues with their wellbeing. That’s one of the reasons funders do like to understand if projects and organisations are reaching people from the most deprived areas.
How are the indices of multiple deprivation worked out?
The IMD is worked out using a range of factors which are assessed across the UK and given a score. The factors are listed below:

  • Income deprivation: how many people in the area are experiencing low-income levels.
  • Employment deprivation: what is the rate of unemployment in the area?
  • Education deprivation: what are the average qualifications within the area, and how easy is it to access quality education?
  • Health deprivation and disability: what is the average life expectancy and disability prevalence in the area?
  • Crime: how much crime occurs within the area
  • Housing deprivation: how affordable is housing within the area, and are there other barriers to people accessing housing
  • Living environment: what is the air quality like in the area, and are there green spaces?

These scores are compiled to give a ranking, which are then categorised into ten deciles. The entirety of England falls equally into one of ten deciles, with decile 1 indicating the most deprivation, and area 10 having the least deprivation.
If you were targeting deprived areas, you might want to reach 50% of people living in IMD1 and 2 for example. Or if you wanted a perfect section of the UK represented in your project, you might want to see 10% of your audience from each decile.

We think the IMD is a useful tool and aim to use it in every evaluation where relevant.

Recent Client Feedback

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At The Evaluator, we are committed to learning and improving our work over time. To make sure we achieve this we do evaluate ourselves and ask our clients to give us feedback. Here are some recent results.

 

And let’s end on a detailed client testimonial, from when The Evaluator worked in partnership with Simon Lees from Countryside Training Partnership to create an evaluation framework.

“Kirsty from The Evaluator and Simon from Countryside Training Partnership have challenged and encouraged the Climate FORTH project team and Board to think about monitoring and evaluation in a holistic way, right from this project development stage. The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework created will support our application to NLHF for delivery phase funding and show how we wish to go beyond monitoring outputs to considering the wider impact of National Lottery and other investment through our project. Communication was excellent throughout this contract and an extension was kindly accommodated when our timelines were delayed. The final report is clear, concise and well considered – spot on – we hope that we get an opportunity to enact it! The Evaluator & Countryside Training Partnership have proposed workable and proportional monitoring and evaluation methods to follow in a project delivery phase, identified suitable baseline data and provided friendly advice as we move through our project development phase. I would be pleased to recommend both parties to other organisations and partnerships looking for a personalised professional approach to this type of work.” Kate Fuller, Climate FORTH Project Manager, Inner Forth Futures.

Client Case Study: Surrey County Council working with The Evaluator

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This is a video interview, with Kirsty Rose Parker, founder and director of The Evaluator in conversation with Surrey County Council discussing an evaluation. Our thanks go to Daniel Murray, and Patricia Huertas from Surrey County Council for agreeing to be filmed for this case study.