A toolkit for evaluating animal welfare education interventions

Until recently there was no guidance for those seeking to design, develop and evaluate animal welfare education (AWE) and animal abuse prevention programmes for children. This chapter provides a toolkit developed on the basis of in-depth research with experts in animal welfare education in the UK.

The toolkit provides a framework for understanding the purpose of evaluation and how it might be approached step-by-step, from the intervention/programmes planning stage right through to reporting and sharing the findings. Beginning with a definition of ‘intervention’ and ‘evaluation’, an overview of the evaluation process is subsequently provided. A helpful breakdown of seven key facets is described under two headings. The first, ‘What should I do?’, outlines three steps to work through when developing an outcome or impact evaluation. The second, ‘How should I do it’, focuses more on process, describing four areas (using the acronym CoRES) that require attention throughout in order to produce a high-quality intervention and evaluation.

Of most use to those new to evaluation, the toolkit is also highly relevant for practitioners working within the broader field of humane education, and other psychological interventions for animal abuse, and those wishing to gather more comprehensive data or stronger evidence of impact.