Kerry McCarthy
Kerry makes evaluation valuable. She helps organisations & people develop their potential. She combines creativity with rigour and sees things in the round to bring new perspectives. Kerry asks people questions (often ones they don’t want to be asked) that help develop the quality of their work. She is very focused on practical outcomes, brings clarity and has keen strategic insight. She is good at playing on a team or leading one.
What has she done?
It started with a law degree. Experience all over the criminal justice system taught me my passion was people & their potential. So I became a probation officer.
Six years of research and consultancy experience followed. Large scale impact evaluations, systematic reviews and qualitative research, often with hard to access groups and on sensitive subjects. Plus a fair bit of work supporting Local Authorities with evidence based commissioning.
Working as Head of Learning at NESTA’s Public Services Lab, I adapted traditional methodologies for innovative programmes and enterprises, where delivery models are still developing.
I employ a wide range of evaluation, learning and innovation methods; always pushing for greater rigor, user friendliness and practical use for developing and running organisations that tackle social challenges
I currently work part time at The Health Foundation, designing, commissioning & managing evaluation. And independently as kclarity, often in collaborative teams with very different skills sets.
People still matter the most.
Awards & Associations
- • Editorial Board member for the Probation Journal of Community & Criminal Justice
• Member of the Writers’ Lab, a critique group for fiction writers
• Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts
• Associate at Apteligen
Ask Kerry about:
- Commissioning & managing research & evaluation
- The criminal justice system
- Reflective practice
- How to measure your social impact
- Motivational interviewing for behaviour change
- Long distance running
- Qualitative research methods for sensitive topics
- Strategy development & problem solving
- Data analysis
- Writing and editing
- Practical application of methods to support social innovation