Evaluation for the National Emergencies Trust: First Activation for COVID-19

The National Emergencies Trust (NET) launched in November 2019. NET is an independent body that is trusted to work collaboratively to raise and distribute funds fairly and efficiently at a time of domestic disaster. In March 2020 the UK Government declared a national emergency in relation to the widespread pandemic of COVID-19.

NET activated and is working collaboratively with local distribution partners such as community foundations and local charities to ensure financial support reaches the communities and organisations that need it most, when they need it most.

NET and their partners will work swiftly within agreed parameters to distribute funds with care and compassion. Their overall aim is to provide a service to the UK public; to appropriately use money donated by the public to support those affected by a national disaster, and to do so in way that engenders the trust of the Nation.

NET have an existing relationship with the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University. They have been working with an academic research group researching the context of emergency management and disaster recovery. As part of this trusted relationship, it was agreed that when NET first activated, NTU would complete the evaluation.

The overall purpose of this evaluation is to objectively assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of the activation relative to its objectives, in order to ensure accountability. This will be completed in two phases:

Phase 1: Looking Back. This will involve an initial evaluation of the current progress of the activation, which will feed back to stakeholders and inform later stages of the activation (looking back)

Phase 2: Looking Forward. This will involve a thorough, holistic evaluation of the activation, and which will inform future activations.

As Phase 1 will be a rapid evaluation, it will only evaluate elements that will continue over the duration of the current activation, and will focus on evaluating policy and procedures, and staff experiences of implementing these. Phase 2 will be a more comprehensive evaluation of all aspects of the activation and will evaluate the short- and long-term impacts of the decisions made. The criteria used to evaluate the activation are:

Relevance: Did the activation meet NET's strategic objectives? Efficiency: Were resources managed and used efficiently? Was the activation managed swiftly and efficiently?

Effectiveness: Did the activation achieve its aims and objectives of fairly distributing financial aid to those in most need? Outcomes: What social, psychological, and economic outcomes occurred as a result of the activation? Sustainability: Were the structures and organisation of work sustainable for the likely length of the activation?

Relationships: for the first activation only: Do the processes during activation facilitate strengthening relationships with community partners, stakeholders, and government?

Quality Assurance: Review and assess the quality of the activation monitoring and evaluation system, specifically: Assess the appropriateness of the indicators and also assess the robustness and reliability of the monitoring protocols. Infrastructure: Identify what infrastructure will remain after the activation ends.

Governance: Review NETs governance structures, capacity and capability during activation, to identify good and leading practice, and areas to improve for future activations, including preparedness and plans for concurrent emergencies.

Outcomes from the evaluations will inform the decision-making processes of NET's stakeholders, including the SLT, beneficiary organisations, Charity Commission, and Government counterparts. Additionally, the evaluations will identify lessons learned, good practice, and make recommendations for future activations.