Robust M&E is essential to deliver value for money and demonstrate the impact of development activities. If you need a full Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy, Turnstone can help by:

• Facilitating workshops to identify outcomes, milestones and indicators;
• Ensuring your Theory of Change is robust and based on sound evidence;
• Selecting methods for monitoring your activities and designing research tools;
• Commissioning and managing specialist research services, such as large scale surveys.

Working with our partners, we can also advise on impact assessments using Randomised Control Trials, experimental designs, pre-and post-surveys, and mixed method evaluations.

Through rigorous quality assurance and robust management processes, we can ensure that your research programme is delivered on budget and on time, and that the insights gained will help you make better decisions in designing your programme.

We provide technical assistance and quality assurance, specialising in qualitative and participatory research. This can be useful at the design stage of a programme, when you need to understand people’s needs and motivations. It can be valuable when developing interventions, to test out new ideas among your target groups. It is useful for scoping projects, when you need to find out who the key players are in a specific field or identify potential partners.

Our technical assistance includes:

• Problem definition and research design;
• Research management and quality assurance;
• Tendering, commissioning and managing external research services;
• Analysis and interpretation of data, in collaboration with local partners;
• Reporting and presenting results.

High quality training for your staff or external research teams will ensure that projects are carried out to consistent and high standards. You’ll also build capacity of local research teams. This makes research activities sustainable in the long term, and gives you confidence in the reliability and robustness of the data collected.

Turnstone has been providing training in research methods for around thirty years, covering topics such as:

• Engaging with vulnerable or marginalised communities;
• Carrying out observational and ethnographic studies;
• Conducting focus groups and in-depth interviews;
• Analysing and interpreting qualitative data;
• Presenting research results and writing reports which make an impact.

Social policies or development programmes usually aim to change people’s behaviour: to stop smoking, eat healthier food, use more efficient business processes or farming technology, or stop marrying their daughters off before they finish school. Communications are a key – and often neglected – component in any behaviour change programme.

But what is the specific role of communications within your programme? Maybe you want to inform people about available services, promote debate on an issue, or change attitudes and cultural norms. Turnstone can help you identify the role of communications within your behaviour change programme and evaluate its impact.

We can also help you develop a detailed communication strategy, based on attitude surveys, focus groups and ethnographic research. This includes defining and segmenting the target audience, identifying the most motivating messages, and the most effective media to get your message across. And we can test your communications ideas, to make sure they are having a real impact.

Robust M&E is essential to deliver value for money and demonstrate the impact of development activities. If you need a full Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy, Turnstone can help by:

• Facilitating workshops to identify outcomes, milestones and indicators;
• Ensuring your Theory of Change is robust and based on sound evidence;
• Selecting methods for monitoring your activities and designing research tools;
• Commissioning and managing specialist research services, such as large scale surveys.

Working with our partners, we can also advise on impact assessments using Randomised Control Trials, experimental designs, pre-and post-surveys, and mixed method evaluations.

High quality training for your staff or external research teams will ensure that projects are carried out to consistent and high standards. You’ll also build capacity of local research teams. This makes research activities sustainable in the long term, and gives you confidence in the reliability and robustness of the data collected.

Turnstone has been providing training in research methods for over twenty-five years, covering topics such as:

• Engaging with vulnerable or marginalised communities;
• Carrying out observational and ethnographic studies;
• Conducting focus groups and in-depth interviews;
• Analysing and interpreting qualitative data;
• Presenting research results and writing reports which make an impact.

If you need a training programme for your in-house team or local partners, we can design a package to meet your needs and deliver training worldwide.

Through rigorous quality assurance and robust management processes, we can ensure that your research programme is delivered on budget and on time, and that the insights gained will help you make better decisions in designing your programme.

We provide technical assistance and quality assurance, specialising in qualitative and participatory research. This can be useful at the design stage of a programme, when you need to understand people’s needs and motivations. It can be valuable when developing interventions, to test out new ideas among your target groups. It is useful for scoping projects, when you need to find out who the key players are in a specific field or identify potential partners.

Our technical assistance includes:

• Problem definition and research design;
• Research management and quality assurance;
• Tendering, commissioning and managing external research services;
• Analysis and interpretation of data, in collaboration with local partners;
• Reporting and presenting results.

Social policies or development programmes usually aim to change people’s behaviour: to stop smoking, eat healthier food, use more efficient business processes or farming technology, or stop marrying their daughters off before they finish school. Communications are a key – and often neglected – component in any behaviour change programme.

But what is the specific role of communications within your programme? Maybe you want to inform people about available services, promote debate on an issue, or change attitudes and cultural norms. Turnstone can help you identify the role of communications within your behaviour change programme and evaluate its impact.

We can also help you develop a detailed communication strategy, based on attitude surveys, focus groups and ethnographic research. This includes defining and segmenting the target audience, identifying the most motivating messages, and the most effective media to get your message across. And we can test your communications ideas, to make sure they are having a real impact.

Adam Smith International and Zimbisa

The Problem

Zimbisa is a three-year programme funded by the UK Department for International Development and implemented by Adam Smith International to improve the quality of public-private dialogue in Zimbabwe. Zimbisa works with the Government, Business Membership Organisations, the media and research institutions to identify reforms which could help businesses grow in Zimbabwe. Turnstone was commissioned to help Zimbabwean research institutions develop new research ideas to provide evidence to guide this dialogue.

The Solution

We started with a series of workshops with our research partners, reviewing their strengths and weaknesses, identifying clients’ needs, and co-creating new research products. The research partners were supported to develop proposals based on these ideas, and several of these studies have been commissioned and completed. This has generated new evidence to improve the quality of dialogue between the government and business community.

The Outcome

The capacity of our partner agencies in product development, proposal writing and marketing has been improved. Three research studies have been completed with support from Zimbisa, focussing on the challenges facing small-scale enterprises and small-holder farmers, and the data needs of research buyers. The findings of these studies have been disseminated to a range of stakeholders and are being used to encourage private sector investment and to inform the policy framework governing small-scale enterprises.

 

Mobilising for Development (M4D) Nigeria

The Problem

Mobilising for Development (M4D) is a programme funded by the UK Department for International Development to improve the quality of basic services for citizens in Northern Nigeria. The programme is implemented by Palladium, and ITAD have been commissioned to carry out the Independent Evaluation. The evaluation uses a household survey, secondary data and qualitative case studies. Turnstone partnered with ITAD to develop the qualitative case study approach. For more details about the whole evaluation, check out ITAD's website:

http://www.itad.com/projects/independent-evaluation-manager-for-the-mobilising-for-development-programme-nigeria/

The Solution

We started with a briefing session in country to gain a full understanding of the programme structure, Theory of Change and intended results. A process for identifying and selecting Case Studies was developed in collaboration with the M4D team, and the interview guides and research protocols were drafted. This was followed by a training workshop for the local research team in country and pilot interviews and focus groups. Turnstone was responsible for quality assurance, data analysis and writing the report on the first Case Study.

The Outcome

The first three case studies have now been successfully completed using the approach and tools developed by Turnstone and ITAD, and this process will be used to guide the remaining case studies. The initial case studies have identified a number of important insights for programme improvement and adaptation. ITAD and Turnstone developed a briefing note for M4D, and ITAD facilitated a workshop in Nigeria to communicate these insights to the implementation team.

Girl Hub Nigeria

Philly has provided monitoring, evaluation and learning support to Girl Hub Nigeria with professionalism and delivered real results. He oversaw the delivery of our baseline attitudinal survey across four northern states which was well received by a variety of stakeholders and has provided robust evidence and data on adolescent girls which has enabled us to monitor our progress against our log frame. Philly is also a delight to work with, he delivers on time and with an eye on quality and is willing to be flexible and accommodating of last minute requests.

Kemi Williams, Country Director, Girl Hub Nigeria

The Problem

Girl Hub Nigeria is a joint initiative of DFID and the Nike Foundation to improve the status of adolescent girls in Northern Nigeria. It does this through social change communications and partnerships with national and international organisations. Girl Hub Nigeria needed a Monitoring and Evaluation strategy, to see whether they were on track to deliver key results and input to DFID and Nike Reviews. They also needed a baseline survey so they could assess the impact of their work.

The Solution

Turnstone was commissioned to design the M&E Strategy for Girl Hub Nigeria and to commission and manage a baseline survey. We facilitated a series of workshops among Girl Hub staff to identify desired results and confirm milestones and targets. We then developed the strategy, including a range of tools to track progress on a quarterly and annual basis. We also tendered and commissioned a local research company to conduct a baseline survey in Northern Nigeria, among girls, boys, parents and other community members.

The Outcome

The Monitoring and Learning Strategy enabled Girl Hub Nigeria to clarify their Results Framework, Theory of Change, and resource requirements. It is used by Girl Hub staff to develop quarterly and annual work plans. This gives a clearer strategic direction to staff activities and helps monitor progress against targets. The baseline survey has provided indicators against which changes can be assessed, and has also influenced other stakeholders to focus more attention on the needs of adolescent girls.

Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND)

The research was very systematic; progressing from data collection and classification, to highly participatory analysis, findings and conclusions. Its methodology has influenced several other research projects that PIND has conducted subsequently. The data from the research inspired further studies leading to PIND’s short film project which is currently making waves across the Niger-Delta region.

Robinson Ariyo, Peace Building Program Officer, PIND

The Problem

The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) wanted to explore the drivers of conflict in the Niger Delta and its impact on people’s livelihoods. The objective was to develop a network of local organisations to encourage peace building and economic development in the region, which has long suffered from political and ethnic conflict. It’s a difficult area to research, with problems of insecurity and geographically remote communities.

The Solution

Turnstone provided technical support to PIND in consulting with men and women, young and old people, traditional and religious leaders, and ex-militant group members. We helped select local partners; provided training in research methods; quality assured the fieldwork and reporting; and facilitated a three day analysis workshop bringing together the local researchers with international partners.

The Outcome

The research was used to guide the programme design, which has three components: media and communications to promote positive messages; a small grants and capacity building element; and a networking component, to share learning between community organisations.

DFID and Adam Smith International

The Problem

GEMS3 (Growth and Employment in States) is a DFID-funded programme aiming to remove the barriers faced by Nigerian firms and enterprises in growing their businesses. The programme works in the areas of land, tax and investment to make it easier to do business in Nigeria. GEMS3 needed to understand these businesses to ensure the programme met their needs – particularly women business owners and poorer people.

The Solution

Turnstone provided technical advice and quality assurance on the research for the design phase. This included training for local staff; supporting staff in running focus groups and Key Informant Interviews; determining the analysis strategy; reviewing the analysis conducted by local staff; and facilitating workshops to generate new insights from the research data. This was a major qualitative project, involving over fifty focus groups and 100 in-depth interviews in Lagos, Kano, Cross River and Kaduna.

The Outcome

The research was used to develop a series of interventions focusing on access to land and finance, and improving the taxation system. The research provided specific insights into the needs of women and poorer people, ensuring that the programme design targeted these priority groups effectively.

Independent Social Research and Department for Transport

Philly did a great job on this complex project, pulling together different data sources into a clear and coherent report. Using a multi-method approach, including focus groups, ethnography, and accompanied journeys, Philly and the ISR team developed valuable recommendations to increase passengers sense of safety on public transport.

Dr Wendy Sykes, Director, Independent Social Research

The Problem

One of the key barriers to using public transport in the UK is that people do not always feel safe when using the network. The Department for Transport wanted to explore the reasons for this and to identify initiatives which made people feel safer when using public transport. They wanted to include the views of children under seventeen, who had not been included in prior research, as well as adults in general. Independent Social Research (ISR), in partnership with Philly Desai of Turnstone, was commissioned to carry out qualitative research to explore these issues.

The Solution

Firstly, we conducted a scoping exercise to identify initiatives for inclusion in the study, contacting transport companies and local authorities across England. From this, we identified sixteen initiatives covering eight areas, including a range of transport types and locations. We then carried out a series of focus groups, accompanied journeys, intercept interviews and ethnographic observations at key locations, among adults, young people and children.

The Outcome

The research identified a range of factors which promoted feelings of safety among the travelling public, including staffing training; infrastructure, such as lighting and CCTV cameras; crime prevention and policing activities; information about transport services; and education projects targeting young people. The research also identified a need for better communication on the role and results of such initiatives, as well as visible enforcement of the rules to enhance feelings of security.

Independent Social Research and Home Office

Philly designed a consistent yet flexible approach to cover the Somali, Yemeni and Ethiopian communities. Working with a multi-lingual research team, Philly ensured that women, young people and non-English speakers were included in this complex and sensitive study, which has had a real impact on social policy

Dr Wendy Sykes, Director, Independent Social Research

The Problem

The Home Office wanted to explore the social harms associated with the use of khat, a leafy plant chewed as a stimulant in parts of Africa and the African diaspora. The Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs was reviewing the status of khat, currently legal in the UK, and evidence was required to contribute to the review. The research was sensitive and required us to work with British Somali, Ethiopian and Yemeni communities. ISR, in partnership with Philly Desai of Turnstone, were commissioned to carry out the qualitative research.

The Solution

Firstly, we carried out a community development phase, identifying groups working with these communities, visiting and discussing the project, and selecting partners who could gain access to marginalised and vulnerable community members. Focus groups and interviews were conducted in Somali, Arabic, Amharic and English, using community researchers and interpreters. These included khat users, other community members, drugs workers, police officers, medical professionals and community workers.

The Outcome

The research found that chewing khat was widespread and socially accepted within the three communities. However, frequent and heavy use was thought to have negative social consequences for users and their families. There was some support for Government intervention, although attitudes towards making khat a controlled substance were mixed. The ACMD took the findings into account in their decision not to make khat a controlled substance in the UK.

Central Office of Information

This was an extremely useful piece of research which Turnstone conducted expertly and professionally. The findings were clearly presented and the recommendations remain pertinent to the way in which health issues are currently communicated to ethnic minority audiences.

Christine Roberts, Insight manager, Dept of Health Marketing, 2012

The Problem

The Greater Manchester Public Health Network wanted to address the issues of late presentation and late diagnosis of cancer within the UK South Asian men and women. These factors are among the key reasons for the lower cancer survival rates in the UK compared with the rest of Europe, particularly among poor communities. Turnstone was commissioned to carry out focus groups and individual interviews with disadvantaged members of the Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian communities, to help develop communications to address this problem.

The Solution

We worked with researchers from the South Asian communities to ensure that those who spoke little or no English, or who might be suspicious of outside researchers, were included in the research. The first stage explored awareness of the symptoms of cancer among older generations and the second stage tested three advertising routes developed to address the information gaps identified. Younger and older people were included, to ensure the solution identified worked across generations.

The Outcome

The research found low awareness of the symptoms of cancer and a belief that cancer was not treatable and amounted to a “death sentence.” This helped to develop advertising ideas showing real-life stories of South Asian people who had survived cancer. The findings were also used to improve the cultural and linguistic sensitivity of the advertising, as well as to develop communications to engage the younger generations.