Martyn Hudson

Youth Integration and Project Co-ordinator
North Of England Refugee Service (NERS)
Newcastle upon Tyne

Supports asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in the North of England.

As many of his organisation’s funding bodies are turning to an outcomes based approach to evaluation, Martyn decided to find out more about how to develop an outcomes framework through PNE’s “Understanding and Using an Outcomes Focus” programme.

”PNE’s excellent Outcomes programme helped me to appreciate the difference between outputs and outcomes. It enabled me to identify outcome indicators and clarified the types of information that we needed to collect. 

“It really made us think hard about the whole organisation’s aims and to look at the evidence our project should, and could, collect to demonstrate the impact we’re having.”

Following the programme, Martyn developed an outcomes monitoring framework and came up with new ways of measuring the impact of his project. These include film, photos, personal profiles, and even theatre performances to show the development of young people who have benefited from the project.

The approach to monitoring outcomes is now firmly embedded in the project. It is included in staff training sessions and is on the agenda of all their monthly and quarterly meetings. The project also produces monthly and quarterly reports on outcomes which go to funders and the organisation’s board.

“Thanks to PNE, we now have a comprehensive assessment system in place which enables us to show the effect we’re having on young asylum seekers and migrants. So, whether it’s to see if we’re achieving our aim of improving mental health and well-being, or reducing stress and increasing integration, we have effective systems in place to measure our impact.

“As a direct result of PNE’s support in presenting an outcomes approach to funding bodies, we secured a grant of £300k from The Russell Commission on youth volunteering.”