NO MATTER WHAT, WE CONTINUE TO EVOLVE IN THE FIELD OF EVALUATION
There are four winners in the Development of Practices for Implementation of Evaluation of Social Projects category. The first award went to the Timchenko Foundation for developing a standard of evidence-based practices for evaluating social impact in childhood and for shaping approaches to assessing the effectiveness of community development.
In 2018, with the strategic participation of the Timchenko Foundation, the Standard for Evidence-Based Social Practices appeared in Russia[22]. It was developed by specialists from expert organizations, including Center for Evidence-Based Social Design of the Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Association of Program and Policy Evaluators, Process Consulting company, Institute for the Study of Childhood, Family, and Education of the Russian Academy of Education.
10 organizations from Moscow, Penza, Cherepovets, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Ivanovo provided descriptions of their social practices (model, technology, methodology, service, etc.) in an evidence-based format and were professionally verified. The format of the practice description implies its brief content, information on the achievement of social results, the quality of the available evidence on the achievement of positive changes in the lives of the beneficiaries, the regulated nature, the validity and good elaboration of the practice concept.
The standard is now a document that is evolving both methodologically and practically. In particular, the provisions of the standard are taken into account by the relevant ministries when developing methodological recommendations for organizations in the field of childhood, and the academic community makes extensive use of the standard's developments.
Another area of the Timchenko Foundation's work is the development of approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of local community development. In 2022, the foundation launched the Solidarity Communities project competition, which aims to solve small area problems by local communities, organizations, and initiative groups[23].
Maria Morozova, General Director of the Timchenko Foundation, told the Positive Changes Journal how the foundation created, approved, and independently audited a system for monitoring and evaluating programs.