An independent evaluation of the Life Changes Trust. Final Report

Abstract

This evaluation is a multi-method evaluation of the work of the Life Changes Trust from its inception in 2013 through to November 2021. The project has three overarching aims: • to tell the (hi)story of the Trust • to demonstrate the impact and outcomes for the three beneficiary groups of the Trust • to demonstrate the place and impact of the Trust in the wider policy and practice context Alongside more traditional methods, including surveys and secondary analysis, the evaluation adopted life story and appreciative enquiry methods that encouraged meaningful participation and engagement with the different participants to develop a multi-perspective understanding of the work of the Life Changes Trust. It incorporated both process and summative evaluation techniques. This report provides findings from across the life of the project and draws together a number of different primary and secondary datasets. The Life Changes Trust (also referred to as ‘the Trust’) is a Scottish charity, established in 2013 with a £50 million endowment from the National Lottery Community Fund. It invests in, and supports, the empowerment and inclusion of three groups of people: people living with dementia, unpaid carers of people with dementia and young people with care experience. The National Lottery’s investment was time-limited, with the aim of focussing the Trust’s investments on achieving a permanent and sustainable positive shift in the quality of life of the groups it aimed to benefit.