CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
"Ruth Flood and her associates conducted an in-depth evaluation on Include Youth’s Give & Take Programme. The team really delivered and provided us with a real appreciation and opportunity to understand fully the impact of our work, drawing out our strengths but helping us identify the challenges ahead including helpful recommendations and areas which we could improve. The legacy of their work has been huge they have helped steer our ship and inspired our strategic and operational direction. Their style is engaging, collaborative and refreshing.”
Claire Meenehan, Skills Manager, Include Youth
"We invited RF Associates to help us plan the evaluation of our Heritage Fund supported project. We were in good hands throughout. Our staff, partners and project steering group came away with new insights into evaluation best practice. Ruth helped us develop a framework to focus our evaluation plan and provided a strong sense of clarity and purpose for our next steps. Ruth's expertise and professional approach shone through all of her work with us."
Conor McCafferty, Project and Outreach Manager, Friel Reimagined, Queen's University Belfast
“We received a thoroughly dedicated, professional and efficient service from RFA. After an initial meeting in which we outlined our ideas, the team analysed the large amount of information we sent. They were able to identify a number of themes emerging from the data, and following two more brief meetings provided us with a focused and expertly written research report. We’d be extremely happy to work with RFA again in the future.”
Andrew Ruston, Head of Communications, NIPSO
"Ruth Flood and her team at RF Associates have provided us with a very professional, helpful and efficient service . They listened attentively to the brief and delivered a research report which was both rigorous and very well informed. This better informed us as an organisation on our project, before work commenced, which helped us to make sound, informed evidence based decisions, which saved us money and time in the long term. I would highly recommend RF Associates for their research work"
Renée Quinn, Executive Director PIPS Suicide Prevention Ireland Charity
“Ruth and her team were great to work with as we listened to our local community, to ensure what the Crick does meets community need. They were diligent in their planning, ensuring they fully understood our aims and constraints, and worked efficiently and quickly. Their analysis of the data was insightful and their communication was clear throughout. Their report has been genuinely useful and not only that, they were a pleasure to work with.”
Hannah Camm, Community Engagement Manager, The Francis Crick Institute
“Cedar has been involved with Ruth Flood Associates in 3 major pieces of work, all of which have been completed to an exceptional standard. Their services are built on an excellent understanding of the brief against which they bring their extensive expertise, knowledge and experience. At all times, their approach has been extremely professional, solution-focused, value-based, cost effective and delivered in a very timely fashion. Their range is comprehensive- we have been involved with them on the Evaluation of Technology Enriched Housing and Collaborative Working to effect organisational change. We recommend them highly.”
Eileen Thomson, Deputy Chief Executive, Cedar Foundation
“RF Associates has completed a number of complex research projects for the Housing Executive. From the outset, Ruth and Sarah took the time to grasp an understanding of the topic being researched and quickly understood the key challenges. They offered innovative approaches to dealing with sensitive research issues and met with key stakeholders throughout the housing sector. Ruth and Sarah have always been professional in their approach, working to produce reports which were of a high standard and providing valuable insights to meet our requirements.”
Gillian Greer, Senior Research Officer, Northern Ireland Housing Executive
“It has been a real pleasure to work with Ruth Flood Associates. They are consummate professionals who bring a wealth of experience and expertise to their practice. Their methods are rigorous, astute and incisive, and we have learnt much from them. This will undoubtedly serve us well as we continue on the next stage of our journey with our work on ‘The Troubles and Beyond’, now better informed and focussed.”
Hannah Crowdy, Head of Curatorial, National Museums NI
“I would highly recommend RF Associates. It was a pleasure working with Ruth and the team, they demonstrated their experience, commitment and professionalism at every stage of the research project. As a result, the Law Society has an improved understanding of the priorities and expectations of an important stakeholder group. The research contained concise and actionable insights which have been shared across the business and fed into our business planning processes.”
Steve King, Head of Research, The Law Society
“It has been both a pleasure and a privilege to work with Ruth Flood and Associates. Their work ethic and professionalism speak for themselves, and they work in a relatable and approachable way. Ruth and her team took the time to understand our evaluation needs, and the intricate detail of the project being evaluated, in order to determine the appropriate research methods. Ruth is honest, motivated, responsive and reliable. We had a tight timescale in which this substantial evaluation was to be completed, and Ruth’s team worked within these parameters without compromising the quality of the process or the report. We are delighted by the service they provided.”
June Onyekwelu, Head of Operations, The Fostering Network
“Ruth and her team delivered above and beyond in fulfilling the deliverables of our programme evaluation and case studies. Ruth’s rich background knowledge, expertise and understanding of our sector shone through and she was always available to have a call to talk through any updates and worked in a timely, professional and highly skilled manner. As an organisation, we have gained so much from this process and we will use this experience moving forward.”
Graeme Cumming, COO, V&A Dundee
“We would strongly recommend RF Associates, who have always been thoroughly professional, well organised and thoughtful in all their dealings with Mencap NI over the past year. Their highly skilled team have engaged very well with our managers and staff, as well as with a wide range of stakeholders from across Northern Ireland, and were able to ‘go the extra mile’ on a number of occasions. The RF Associates reviews of Mencap NI activities have been balanced, considered and constructive and will help us greatly to move forward as an organisation”
Liam Burns (Project Manager, Personal Support - employment & personal development) and Mary-Anne Webb (Head of Policy & Influencing), Mencap NI
“We commissioned RF Associates to review our charity’s progress in delivering its strategic plan and to advise on our approach to impact measurement. From the outset, they took the time and effort to understand our work and were quick to recognise some of the key challenges we faced. Throughout the process Ruth and Sarah kept us fully informed of how the work was progressing and were adaptable when changes to the brief were required. The work they produced has provided valuable insights for our organisation, with a clear set of recommendations for us to take forward.”
Matthew Mckeague, Chief Executive, Architectural Heritage Fund
“We appointed RF Associates to prepare a logic model for our HLF funded housing regeneration project “New Bolsover – New Beginning”. Working within a tight timescale and limited budget, RFA was able to scope out this complex project, to meet with key partners and explain the benefits of evaluation presenting a simple but comprehensive range of evaluation tools and techniques which will enable us to gather vital information throughout the life of the project. The service we received was excellent, delivered on time and tailor made to meet our requirements. I look forward to working with Ruth again in the future.”
Kim Wyatt, Project Manager, New Bolsover Model Village
“Victim Support NI appointed RF Associates to scope existing and potential mechanisms for gathering statistics and narrative evidence from the experience victims and witnesses of crime have with regard to the criminal justice system. They met with people at all levels of the organisation as well as our key stakeholders, compiled findings and provided recommendations as agreed. They were personable and professional and we would recommend them highly.”
Lesley Carroll, Voice of the Victim Project Manager, Victims Support NI
“Lighthouse recently hired RF Associates in the evaluation and completion of a report and recommendations on the Flourish! Initiative. Due to the very limited timeframe available we had some concerns that it may not have been possible to conduct the full range of necessary participant interviews etc however both Ruth and Polona proved to be highly efficient, completing all the necessary requirements to allow for a fully comprehensive evaluation. Their quick understanding of the project, evaluation purpose and requirements, resulted in a minimum amount of work and input for Lighthouse, which was exactly what we required at the time. Their obvious wealth of experience in carrying out similar evaluations made the entire process much easier than we had initially anticipated with the final report, produced within the very limited time allowed, created to a highly professional standard.”
Sharon Quinn, Office Manager, Lighthouse
“I have worked with Ruth for several years and have most recently used her company to review 200 self-evaluation reports submitted by Heritage Lottery Fund projects. Her work and that of her associates is always high quality and they always go beyond the brief and set budget to ensure what you get is excellent value for money. Ruth herself is easy to work with and passionate about what she does. I look forward to having the opportunity to work with her and her team again in the future.”
Kion Ahadi, Head of Evaluation, Heritage Lottery Fund
“RF Associates provided a professional and rigorous service throughout, paying particular attention and taking time to understand the bespoke nature of Creative Skillset’s accreditation process and the challenges currently facing the HE, FE and Apprenticeship landscape. I would certainly recommend RF Associates for their research and evaluation expertise, the brief was not only met but the deliverables exceeded and within the tight timeframe Creative Skillset were working to.”
Abby Stirling, Quality Development Manager, Creative Skillset
"Ruth Flood and her team have been extremely helpful to the work of our organisation - they are professional, efficient and effective at carrying out bespoke research. They demonstrated excellent client-orientated solutions and a commitment to professional excellence."
Conor Houston, Programme Director, Center for Democracy and Peace Building
"Ruth Flood and her associates rise above the normal service of consultants, by being careful before committing to work so as to be certain of the client’s needs, by asking intelligent and relevant questions and giving a full commitment to the project which shows personal pride in their work and a deliberate effort to support the client.”
Stephen Turner, National Secretary YMCA
"We are delighted to be working with RF Associates - we trust their instincts, are always impressed by the work that they produce and enjoy working with them. They go the extra mile and we look forward to working with them more in the future.”
Focus Identity Trust