Research Summary Update to the Mid-Term Evaluation of the Community Support Framework for England/Gibraltar, Scotland and Wales By Steve Johnson, Tim Bickerstaffe, Alison Darlow, Surya Monro and Alex Nunn Download this and other research reports free from www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/ asd5/rrs-index.asp This Mid Term Evaluation Update (MTEU) report on the Community Support Framework (CSF) for England/Gibraltar, Scotland and Wales has been produced at a time when the current programme has two years still to run. While it is not appropriate to recommend any significant changes at this late stage of the programme’s operation, this MTEU report highlights a number of lessons, notably in terms of good practice, that national administrators, project promoters and CFOs will find useful in ensuring that the remainder of the programme is geared towards achieving its objectives. Furthermore, an ex-post evaluation of the programme will be undertaken following its conclusion in 2007 and it is important that the results of this MTEU exercise, as well as the MTE that was conducted in 2003, are taken into account in the ex-post evaluation. Finally, the process of agreeing, developing and implementing the next phase of Structural Fund programmes is under way at the time of writing this report. While the precise nature of the Objective 3 (or equivalent) programme(s) at EU and national levels is yet to be agreed, there is in future unlikely to be an equivalent of the CSF that is under review in this report. Nonetheless, it is important that the lessons of the MTEU are taken into account in the ex-ante evaluations of the individual country programmes that are likely to emerge from current discussions. It is with these three issues in mind – lessons for the remainder of the programme, lessons for the ex-post evaluation and lessons for likely future programmes – that the main findings and lessons from the evaluation are presented. It should also be borne in mind that the conclusions that are presented here relate to common themes emerging across the CSF and do not repeat the conclusions and recommendations of individual country MTEU reports. The conclusions are set out according to the chapters that present findings regarding the seven main issues addressed in the MTEU. Project activity and good practice This chapter highlights the crucial importance of project management in contributing to the achievement of the objectives, targets and desired impacts of individual projects and the Objective 3 programme as a whole. It notes that increased attention has been paid to this issue during the period since the MTE, with some positive results in terms of research findings and case studies that can be used to inform and assist current and future project promoters. In terms of specific lessons learned:  Sufficient time needs to be built into a project’s design and strategy to ensure its successful management.  Projects need to develop and maintain a learning culture for staff.  Developing good external links, for example with referral agencies, partner organisations and employers, is an important element of project success, particularly in relation to excluded and disadvantaged groups.