Executive Summary- a Collaborative Evaluation

Executive Summary- a collaborative evaluation

of the work of Mothertongue

The Background

Mothertongue Counselling Service (MT) has developed considerably since the last evaluation was undertaken in 2003/4. It continues to provide a culturally sensitive professional counselling and listening service but major new initiatives have extended their service to the Black and Minority ethnic (BME) communities in Berkshire. (

Mothertongue’s work with the local community includes newcomers, who may be seeking asylum here and are particularly vulnerable, as well as those from established BME communities. In all, over 30 different ethnic groups have received a service from Mothertongue. Since the last evaluation, increased funding has been achieved from the following sources:

Lankelly Chase, Awards for All, the Alan Lane Foundation, West Berkshire PCT, Reading Borough Council, Connecting Communities Plus, The Big Lottery. During the last financial year Mothertongue had an income of £231,000.

In the last two years the structure of the agency has needed to change to incorporate new workers. There are now three full time and five part time workers, five counsellors and a volunteer team of 45+. There is an Operations Manager and a Manager of the team of three paid Cross Cultural Support Workers. These workers, along with the team of volunteers managed by the Volunteer Manager, offer practical support with a variety of problems and this may lead people into the counselling service or indeed provide necessary practical support for those already involved in counselling. The Admin worker supports the work of all these new appointments in addition to the work of the Volunteer Manager and the Director.

The Evaluation

The evaluation focused on the counselling work, the work of the new Cross Cultural Support Workers, the extended work of the volunteers and also new initiatives such as counselling within the Leaving Care Project. The evaluation was undertaken by two workers from the Evaluation Trust who interviewed the key stakeholders in the project. This has included clients of counselling (13), counsellors (5), staff members (4) and representatives from agencies working with Mothertongue (7). Where necessary client interviews have been conducted in the client’s mother tongue. Interviews have been face to face, or in the case of agencies and counsellors, via the telephone. The other Evaluation Trust worker trained some volunteers from MT who undertook 18 interviews with current and recent clients of the Cross Cultural Support Service.

The purpose of the evaluation as identified by the organisation included to:

• Improve the quality of the service
• Set the strategic direction and shape the development of the service so it meets needs
• Identify benefits for the funders and provide evidence of meeting the agreed outcomes agreements
• Provide opportunity for clients to reflect on their experience
• Explore alternative/more effective ways of meeting needs and whether the counselling service needs further development
• Identify ways of developing external relations and raising awareness of Mothertongue Counselling (MT) to increase funding base;
• Assess the growth of the organisation since previous evaluation and the infrastructure needed, e.g. staffing levels and clinical supervision support
• To further build up the evaluation skills in the organisation

The Findings

The Counselling

Clients have valued both the counselling service and the practical support. Many stated that when they had their first contact they had wanted a listening ear, but then they realised how much practical support was needed to help them move forwards. The practical support and the counselling, (often in tandem), had helped to bring about significant life improvements that many had not thought possible. Clients have particularly commented on the quality of the counselling, emphasising aspects such as feeling well understood and respected. They were able to identify realistic goals for the future.

There is clear evidence to confirm that the outcomes promised for the counselling work are being achieved. In relation to the Cross cultural support Service whilst the services is clearly building a bridge with mainstream agencies, improving communications between different partners, and helping gain access to mainstream services, there is still much to achieve in relation to clients feeling increased confidence in public services with improved trust. However the interviews demonstrated some achievements in these areas which are notoriously difficult to measure.

Clients talked positively and appreciatively about their experience of counselling through MT. The skills of the counsellors were praised highly:

The following strengths were identified about the counsellors and the counselling process. Clients felt that the counsellors:

• Provided good support
• Understood them and their cultural experiences
• Listened to them and were easy to talk to

Clients said that the counselling had enhanced their ability to manage relationships and this in turn has benefited others, who are close to them.

In relation to the counselling the outcomes agreed are: 250 people from BME community have increased confidence, a greater understanding of their difficulties and develop abilities to cope and an improved quality of life. In relation to the Cross Cultural Support programme, the project has to demonstrate increasing confidence in public services with improved access and trust; and for Reading Borough Council the planned outcomes are to help BME members gain confidence and abilities to access and trust other services; build a bridge with mainstream agencies; and improve communications between different partners. There is considerable evidence that the outcomes are being achieved and the outputs numbers will be delivered within the time period.

The Cross Cultural Support Service

Sixteen of the eighteen clients identified that the support had led to a changed situation with both practical help and emotional support. Some responses were very short practical statements like finding a house or a doctor or providing food or help with reading letters, filling forms, referral to a service that could help them. Others identified interventions which reduced pressure and stress and had wider benefits for the whole family; others identified feeling more hopeful, confident, secure and encouraged and less worried and isolated. Most clients identified improvements in their health including worry and stress levels. Other benefits included an improved situation at work, a client now looking for a job and trying to be independent financially, and access to education and school.

Clients say the best things about MT’s Cross Cultural Support Service are the friendly and effective care and attention they receive:

Statutory organisations (with the exception of the Health Service) see MT as largely fulfilling an advocacy role, assisting MT clients to access the statutory services. Statutory agencies say they had long identified the need for a service like MT meeting the needs of members of the BME communities for whom English is a second language:

The organisation

In confirming the organisation’s excellence in management and service delivery, the evaluation report makes recommendations in relation to:

• Secure funding
• Further development of partnership working and dissemination of learning
• Service promotion, targeting and development
• Monitoring and Evaluation systems
• The counsellors and volunteers and organisational structure