In July 2017, the Welsh Government appointed OB3 Research, in conjunction with WISERD, to undertake an evaluation of the Seren Network.
A formative and process evaluation of the Seren Network was commissioned to inform decisions about the criteria for young people’s participation and the design and delivery of the programme at national and local levels.
The objectives of the evaluation were to:
- assess how each Seren hub is operating, considering – engagement criteria, programme costs, participation levels and programme of provision
- identify the barriers and enablers to delivery for Seren hubs and participants
- assess the extent to which hub activities contribute to the Seren Network objectives
- design a methodology and make recommendations for undertaking a final impact evaluation of the programme.
The evaluation concludes that since its piloting during 2015/16, the Seren Network initiative has been successfully expanded over a relatively short timeframe so as to offer a full programme of pan-Wales provision by the start of the 2017/18 academic year.