Meet the Research and Evaluation Team
Project: Suicide Awareness Partnership Training Evaluation
Client: Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Community Council
Value: £430,000
The Suicide Awareness Partnership Training (SAPT) project, funded by the Big Lottery’s Reaching Communities, aims to increase the awareness of good emotional health and mental well-being, and reduce the stigma of suicide. The project delivers free training sessions to local communities throughout most of the East Midlands to encourage people in these communities to talk about suicide. Through the delivery of these awareness sessions, SAPT believes it goes some way towards removing the stigma that surrounds the subject. In turn, that helps to break down barriers (perceived or real) to those who need to seek help.
Focus was commissioned by Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Community Council - the lead delivery agent for SAPT – to undertake an independent interim evaluation of the project. The evaluation was informed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods including one to one consultation, observational analysis, a delegate e-survey and data analysis. The evaluation identified a range of impacts of the project at its interim stage and made a series of recommendations to inform the project’s forward strategy.