Figures and statistics –eg. participation, book issues
Personal statements and experiences from young people, their families, their teachers. This can be particularly powerful evidence
Measurement of changes in people's awareness and attitudes

The more refined your evidence collection, the clearer picture you will have of the impact your service is making. For more detail of processes you could use, have a look at the Evidence Collection Toolkit (Word, 48kb). Make sure that when you allocate staff time for activities, you also allow sufficient staff time for collecting evidence.

Look at The Summer Reading Challenge 2003 (Word, 101kb) report which gives a good description of how evidence was collected.

Step 4 - Processes for Collecting Evidence

In column 4 of your Planning table note down the processes you will use for collecting evidence of impact. The methods you choose will depend on

The resources you have available to collect and analyse the evidence – eg. staff, staff time. The use you want to make of this evidence
See this worked example (this link opens a new window) for ideas as to how you might collect the evidence you need.

An important step now in your Planning and Evaluation is analysing and presenting the evidence you have collected.