We are delighted to share findings and recommendations from the evaluation of the Struggle to Strength programme, an ambitious two-year initiative led by Fife Voluntary Action (FVA), the Third Sector Interface for Fife.
About the Struggle to Strength programme
From 2021 to 2023, this programme brought together the voices of people with lived experiences of poverty and trauma to improve services and support within Fife.
Struggle to Strength was driven by FVA’s Employability Team and two interlinked communities: the Lived Experience Team (LET) and the Peer Support Network (PSN). Together, they sought to:
- build networks, skills and access to opportunities for people with lived experience.
- build the capacity of people working in the design and delivery of employability and mental health services within Fife and create opportunities for peer support work, ensuring decisions are informed by lived experience perspectives.
As the evaluation partner for this work, we supported FVA’s self-evaluation through our outcome mapping approach and OutNav software, helping the team to continually reflect and adapt.
This evaluation report builds on FVA’s interim reports, adding qualitative evidence we captured to inform our findings.
Key findings from the evaluation of the Struggle to Strength programme
Struggle to Strength has successfully nurtured and grown the LET and PSN into established communities. Members reported increased confidence, skills, and access to unique opportunities. Moreover, the programme has empowered professionals in Fife to embrace co-production, enhancing service design and delivery.
Three core themes enabled the success of this complex and challenging initiative, as explored in this report: strong foundations and leadership, values-based co-production, and embracing the discomfort and challenges that co-production brings.
Read the evaluation report
We invite you to read the full report to explore how a commitment to a significant and comprehensive approach to evaluation has surfaced how the Struggle to Strength programme has made a meaningful difference. We also offer recommendations to support continued progress in the growing, yet fragile, movement for peer support and lived experience engagement in Fife.