This study assesses the need and demand within voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) for relevant, analysed and well-presented data to support their work tackling poverty.
The poverty agenda has shifted away from ‘top-down’ action by central government towards the engagement of local voluntary and community organisations. As small, independent groups with their own ideas about tackling poverty, VCOs represent a powerful, ‘bottom-up’ approach.
Financial support for VCOs increasingly depends on evidence of need and success against outcomes. This report considers:
- how VCOs use data to support their work;
- what data VCOs find most useful;
- what obstacles there are to accessing data.