System developed by New Philanthropy Capital and children's charities will be launched in October
- This story was corrected 8 July 2010. See final paragraph
A new wellbeing index for children that aims to improve charity impact measurement will be launched later this year by the think tank New Philanthropy Capital and a coalition of children’s charities.
The index is designed to allow charities to measure several aspects of children’s wellbeing, such as self-esteem and family relationships, through a short survey.
It is designed to help children’s charities measure the effectiveness of their interventions.
Martin Brookes, chief executive of NPC, said the index would be made available to all charities online for a subscription fee, which has yet to be decided.
"We’re hoping it will make it easier for charities to evaluate what they do, and for funders to understand what they are funding," he said.
"We think it could apply to about 2,000 charities that work with children."
He said it had taken two years to develop the impact measurement tool, with the backing of many of the largest charities in the sector. It is expected to be launched in October.
Brookes said NPC was also looking at developing tools for impact measurement in other sectors, particularly for charities working with ex-offenders.
"There is growing interest in impact evaluation in the charity sector, but at the moment the rhetoric still exceeds the reality by an embarrassing margin," he said.
- The index will not be free of charge. It will be available to all charities online for subscription fee that is yet to te decided.
