Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney Women’s Only Project Evaluation
How an independent, trauma-informed evaluation helped Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney test a new intervention to support women – and transform their way of working
At the Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney community, people who have experienced homelessness can access a place to live, work and individual support. In 2024, the charity piloted something new: a trauma-informed project aimed at women at risk of homelessness that are survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. The project incorporated therapeutic support in a women-only space, alongside Emmaus’ accommodation and work experience provision. Insley Consulting was commissioned to evaluate the pilot – to assess its effectiveness and help improve delivery in both the first year of implementation and in the future.
The Challenge
The Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney team knew the pilot had the potential to become an intervention rolled-out across Emmaus communities (part of the Emmaus Federation) and needed evidence to support this.
Without external support, the team would have struggled to evaluate the project meaningfully, says Cécile: “We would have approached it in a ad hoc way. Our team didn’t have the capacity or the knowledge to do it well.” Involving external evaluators didn’t just add the necessary expertise – it was also essential to remove “bias” and add credibility to the evaluation.
“What we needed was to understand if the concept and the intervention that we were going to implement was going to have value: Was it useful? What would the impact be?.”
CEO, Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney
The Solution
The Insley Consulting team began by co-designing a Theory of Change with project staff, trustees, and an Emmaus companion with lived experience. We then developed an Impact Framework and Toolkit that, according to Cécile, gave the team “clarity on what was being measured from the offset”.
The independent evaluation of the pilot’s first year combined:
- Validated measures – including wellbeing, anxiety, loneliness and life satisfaction – tracked at baseline, midpoint and endline through surveys.
- Specific feedback following the two therapeutic courses focused on recovery from domestic abuse and sexual violence.
- Focus groups with participants and staff.
The evaluation included regular catch-ups to support the team in adjusting and implementing the toolkit; a mid-point check-in, with findings to inform delivery while the project was running; and a final summary of findings, with recommendations to refine the intervention.
“The most valuable thing was having Insley Consulting with a learning partner lens and unbiased view of the project, keeping us on track with the evaluation plan. Having someone with dedicated responsibility and expertise was critical, because otherwise we might have gone off-track.”
CEO, Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney
The Result
A tried, tested and improved intervention model
The evaluation findings, at mid-point and at the end, supported the team to adjust delivery in several ways – such as improving session delivery methods and providing more structured support at the end of the project, to ease the transition out of it. The improved intervention is already being delivered to a new cohort, and is generating excellent feedback.
Evidence that supports fundraising and wider learning in the Emmaus Federation
The evidence from the Women’s Project evaluation is also being used to support funding bids – for example, for a re-settlement project with the local authority – and has been shared with the CEOs of other UK Emmaus communities to encourage them to incorporate trauma-informed practice and improve support to women.
A new way of working that values evaluation and learning
The team had been wanting to “shift ways of working and evaluate things more” – this experience of impact evaluation helped them take the first steps in that direction. As a result, the team has anchored the development of their 2025-2030 strategy in its intended impact – with support from Insley Consulting, as we facilitated their Strategy Development Day – and is looking for funding to implement an Impact Monitoring & Evaluation system across the whole organisation.
“It really transformed the way we work … I would recommend outsourcing a learning partner to any other Emmaus Communities, without a doubt.”
CEO, Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney
Further Reading
Find out more about Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney’s Women’s Project.