The purpose of the evaluation was to inform the nationwide rollout of LCSPs in local authority areas across Ireland in accordance with the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill (2023)
The pilot was a specific time-bound exercise to test the LCSP model as experienced in real time in three different locations.
The evaluation was designed to answer three high-level questions and a series of associated sub-questions over the lifecycle of the pilot:
CES, in partnership with the University of Limerick, was contracted by the Department of Justice in early 2021, to conduct the evaluation of the pilot phase of the LCSP.
The evaluation was a formative and summative evaluation. The formative evaluation findings were reported while the pilots were unfolding and informed the real-time implementation of the LCSP model. The summative evaluation captured the learning and early impact of the LCSPs at the end of the pilot period.
The evaluation methodology followed a set process across three time points integrating a blend of quantitative and qualitative data gathering methods to generate a comprehensive set of data.
Stakeholder interviews (national and local), focus groups and online surveys of LCSP members at each time point enabled the evaluation team to track patterns and capture the learning over the lifecycle of the pilot.
The analysis was situated alongside seven enablers known to facilitate effective partnership working. This acknowledges the challenges associated with working in partnership, across multiple organisations and agencies, to address complex societal themes such as community safety.
The seven enablers include conducive context, vision, resourcing, data sharing, solution and evidence focus, structures and processes, relationships and communication, capacity, and experience. They are the characteristics and conditions that facilitate effective partnerships to be created and sustained.
The seven enablers were tracked through the evaluation over the lifecycle of the LCSP pilot. They offer a benchmark to inform the rollout and implementation of the LCSP nationwide.
The evaluation team examined the Community Safety Plans in each pilot site to gauge understanding, priorities and progress of each LCSP. The team explored how members of each Partnership were working together in collaboration, and to what extent the Partnerships were engaging and consulting with their local communities over time.
The CES evaluation team produced three reports, each at different timepoints - a Baseline Evaluation Report was published in June 2022, an Interim Evaluation Report was published in April 2023 and the Final Evaluation Report was completed in April 2024.
Overall, the evaluation findings indicate that the LCSP model fits well with the Government’s vision for building stronger and safe communities, and community safety as a whole of Government responsibility with the community voice/involvement as a core feature.
The final report sets out recommendations for consideration by the Department of Justice and LCSPs. The recommendations include drawing up a detailed Implementation Plan for the nationwide roll out of LCSPs over the next 5 years, the need for good oversight arrangements for implementation, and the further development of reliable and useful data to inform implementation.
The final evaluation report was launched by the Department of Justice in October 2024.
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