Reflections on Evaluation in Practice

• There are many occasions when no work has been carried out that relates to a particular policy or practice issue, so no evidence is available. • Where work has been done on a topic it may not have produced findings that provide obvious ‘evidence’ that can be converted into policy or practice change. Much social research is about examining problems not finding solutions; evaluation is obviously more concerned with looking at what works and what doesn’t work. • The commitment to evidence-based practice can lead to the interpretation of findings being undervalued, so there is a rush to draw conclusions too early in the research process. • There are times when findings are misinterpreted, in the interests of political or similar pressures, so that the ‘evidence’ is made to support the decision that has been made for other reasons.