Professor David Parsons To Facilitate Evaluation Workshop at Bacta SR Exchange

Bacta’s inaugural SR Exchange will take place in London on 21st November at the Crowne Plaza Kings Cross.

With a fresh and inclusive format, the free-to-enter event has been designed to deliver a new perspective on social responsibility, bringing together professionals in the field of responsible gambling, along with Operators and their front-line staff. The industry has responded well to this initiative with bacta advising that few places now remain. The one day event will mix high profile speakers, panel discussions and a full afternoon of practical workshops, designed to encourage the sharing of experiences and learning from different perspectives. Professor David Parsons will be facilitating the workshop: What is evaluation? The session will explore what constitutes effective evaluation of a social responsibility initiative, what is proportionate and reasonable, what does and does not need to me measured, and why it’s important. Professor David Parsons is Visiting Professor at Leeds Beckett University, and partner at P&A Research and Consulting. A highly experienced and independent evaluator of public policy initiatives and programmes including of responsible gambling initiatives, he has led over 40 national evaluations for government and other bodies in the last decade. As an evaluation consultant and advisor to public bodies, regulators, charities, corporates and sector bodies he is well known for his nuts and bolts approach. Author of Demystifying Evaluation (Policy Press, 2017), in the last five years he has also ‘peer-trained’ over 500 managers and practitioners in proportionate evaluation methods and in making best use of evaluation findings. Since 2015, David has been working with the Responsible Gambling Trust, Gamble Aware and the Gambling Commission to provide independent and expert advice on improving evaluation practice on harm minimisation, problem gambling support and other social responsibility programmes in the sector. He currently advises GambleAware and the Commission on the evaluation of the Multi-Operator Self Exclusion Scheme (MOSES). Professor David Parsons is clearly pleased to be involved as Facilitor for the Evaluation workshop, saying, "I am greatly looking forward to the workshop as a chance to extend my recent work on improving evaluation of responsible gambling initiatives, and to hear practitioners and managers share their own experiences on what helps, and holds back, evaluation.  With the UK’s National Responsible Gambling Strategy about to be revised, it’s also very timely to reflect on some of the lessons to be learnt from the coal face," he revealed. To register for SR Exchange, contact Linda Malcolm at bacta on +44(0)20 7730 6444 or at LindaM@bacta.org.uk