The Senior Help Line: An Economic and Social Evaluation

In 2005, Prof. Eamon O'Shea, NUI Galway, evaluated Senior Help Line as it entered its seventh year. This evaluation involved critical exploration that went beyond narrative and description and involved the assessment of all costs and benefits associated with Senior Help Line, analysed at the level of the individual and society.

The evaluation examined the effectiveness of Senior Help Line in terms of its impact on the health and social well-being of volunteers, callers and society generally. Three levels of outcomes were explored: health and social outcomes, intermediate health outcomes and health promotion outcomes. Best practice in Senior Help Line was also assessed across a range of elements.

The conclusions and proposed action plan provided useful input to the further development of Senior Help Line.

This report is available here; The Senior Help Line: An Economic and Social Evaluation

The Wheel: Training Links Programme report: Sector Skills - a celebration of success.

The training links training network programme was created to demonstrate the effectiveness of a non-profit organisation-led approach to training and development and to promote and support the development of training networks.  This model allows non-profit enterprises and their employees to decide on their own training needs.  Senior Help Line was able to develop solutions, choose training methods, programmes, trainers and priorities most relevant to our needs.

The Wheel has produced its summary evaluation of this programme, launched by Billy Kelleher TD, on 13th December 2007, and its report is available here. Sector Skills Evaluation Report Summary

The full evaluation,containing 180 pages and produced by Bridie Corrigan and Susan Coughlan - Sector Skills Evaluators -  is available here.  Final Evaluation