Safe Soulmates: Year One Evaluation
THEMES
PROCESS
Equalities
Impact Evaluation
Participatory Research
Safe Soulmates is a not-for-profit friendship and dating organisation for adults with learning disabilities including autism, anxiety and additional needs.
It aims to match adults to appropriate friends and/or to their potential soulmates in a safe and supported way. They also provide training such as boundaries, online safety, and navigating sex and relationships in a healthy, appropriate way. The organisation launched in December 2018, after extensive consultation with the beneficiary group.
The Project Brief
Safe Soulmates commissioned CSC to deliver their Year One external evaluation report. This report and the research conducted will help Safe Soulmates to meet the National Lottery Community Fund reporting requirements; support their fundraising; develop an impact framework and impact measurement tools; and develop their organisational capacity and development through expertise.
Our Approach
CSC used their extensive expertise and experience in conducting external evaluations to develop a unique evaluation approach that recognised communication needs of Safe Soulmates’ beneficiaries.
We worked extensively over eight months to gather evidence and engage with Safe Soulmates’ beneficiaries in order to evaluate the extent of the impact of the work in the beneficiaries’ lives, using the following approaches: online surveys with beneficiaries and carers; one-to-one interviews with beneficiaries and carers; an online stakeholder focus group; and a facilitated evaluation session with stakeholders. A large amount of evidence collection took place during the Covid-19 lockdowns which meant we completed much of the evaluation using online technology.
Impact
The evaluation found that there was great value in the work of Safe Soulmates. Evidence showed contact with Safe Soulmates reduced beneficiaries’ social isolation and loneliness; improved physical wellbeing; improved their sense of safety off-line and online; and improved their confidence and independence.
