Outcomes - what we have achieved

The DirectSupport programme has fulfilled the targets set, and exceeded them in many cases.

Direct Support has now run 2 phases of its Main Programme (since November 2000) as well as two additional programmes: CuriosIT and TargIT (12 months each)

Outcomes to March 2003
(including 2 Phases of Main Programme, and TargIT)
- 3000 calls to the helpline
- contact with almost 1000 centres in all
- 300 organisations have received significant on-going help
- 250 centres/groups assisted with mentor visits and action plans
- In excess of 1000 mentors days of support provided

- A team of 40 - 60 community mentors built and deployed at grass roots level, linked via ICT

CuriosIT
more than 100 new 'fun' activities researched and published

TargIT
£2million in grants of £20,000 distributed to 100 new UK online centres based in community and voluntary organisations all bids submitted by email and distributed and assessed in electronic format.

The future
A formal evaluation is under preparation, and we hope to extend activity into 2003.

Details:
This case study focuses on Phase 1 which ran from November 2000 to March 2002. Phase 2 ran for a further year, to March 2003, and provided a similar profile of activity, with some higher outcomes.

In the Phase 1 Main Programme of support to CMF and NOF funded UK online centres, 300 organisations were helped, with many more benefiting from attending events. Of these, over 80 centres were significantly assisted, with at least one Action Plan and mentor visit or training session provided to each centre, tailored according to their needs.

In total over 200 mentor days were provided, reflected in almost 150 Action Plans. Some centres benefited from over ten days' support.

The helpline fielded over 800 calls in Phase 1, and 170 centres joined the Virtual ICT centre, part of the Networks Online group of extranets. A high level of ICT has been used by partners, mentors, and increasingly the centres themselves to co-ordinate the project and exchange information.

Phase 1 registered over 60 mentors, paid day rates to help centres in their local area or field of expertise. Many of them, however, have also chosen to put in some time voluntarily to assist the centres that have selected them.

DirectSupport has developed a range of tailorable workshops and presentations, covering issues such as Funding and Sustainability, Community Consultation and Involvement, Marketing, Managing a centre, Networking and Online working.

Within the part of the programme dedicated to developing and documenting fun ICT activities, CuriosIT, over 100 new activities have been researched and published.

Under the TargIT programme, the same DirectSupport infrastructure has been used to distribute £2million in capital grants of £20,000 each to 97 new UK online centres based in community and voluntary organisations. This was achieved in just under a year. Activity included promotion and distribution of application details, assisting applicants with the bidding process, assessing bids, and distributing grants. A high level of ICT was used by partners and mentors as well as beneficiaries themselves to make sure that this process ran smoothly and quickly; all bids were submitted by email, and were distributed and assessed in electronic format. Telephone help was provided to make sure applicants new to ICT had all the help they needed to apply.

Under the TargIT programme, the Helpline dealt with over 1000 calls, and provided over 100 Action Plans and mentoring visits.