Handling Complexity in Policy Evaluation Online Workshop: Module One – Complexity and its Challenges for Policy and Evaluation

Tuesday 10th June 2025, 10:00 - 16:00, Live Online Training (via Zoom)

Tutors: Martha Bicket and Helen Wilkinson

Back by popular demand, our 'Handling Complexity in Policy Evaluation' workshop series provides you with knowledge and practical advice to allow you to deal with complexity in policy analysis and evaluation.

Complexity is present in many social and natural systems and is an important factor accounting for the success or failure of policies. Making complexity explicit can result in better policy development and delivery. Ignoring complexity risks policies that are ineffective, fail or behave in unexpected ways.

Comprising three modules, the training is based on the Supplementary Guide to the Government’s new edition of the Magenta Book on evaluation: ‘Handling Complexity in Policy Evaluation’, which was developed by CECAN.

We recommend attending all three modules, which have been designed to complement one another, but this is not essential and the workshops can be attended individually.

Course Details:

This first workshop focuses on material presented in the first two chapters of the Supplementary Guide, which describes key features of complex systems and the challenges these present both to policy makers, and to those planning, commissioning and undertaking evaluation of policy interventions.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Be aware of the main properties of complex systems and be able to recognise these in policy-making processes and their own work,
• Have a shared language for discussing and exploring complexity,
• Understand the implications of complex systems for policy-making, analysis and evaluation – the importance of context, the limitations in complex settings of ‘traditional’ standardising and controlling approaches and the need for flexibility in managing and delivering evaluations.

Intended Audience: These workshops are designed to support policy makers, analysts and evaluators at all levels facing complexity challenges in their current work.

Tutor Biographies:

This workshop is led by Martha Bicket and Helen Wilkinson.

Martha Bicket has over twelve years’ experience at the interface of research and policy, working closely with senior policymakers and analysts across local, national and international levels of government towards the goal of better-informed decision-making and policy. Martha led the development of Defra’s Complexity Evaluation Framework and is one of the authors of HM Treasury’s Magenta Book Supplementary Guide "Handling Complexity in Evaluation". She is experienced in supporting Government teams from a wide range of different departments with their real-world complex policy and evaluation challenges through coaching and bespoke training.

Helen Wilkinson is a director of Risk Solutions. She has over 25 years’ consulting experience delivering assignments supporting policy formulation, development of management systems, and all aspects of evaluation and review. She has worked at senior levels for the UK government, reporting for example directly to ministers in Defra. She leads one of two teams delivering quality assurance of the National Audit Office’s (NAO) value for money (VFM) evaluation reports. Helen is a co-author of the HM Treasury 2020 Magenta Book Supplementary Guide “Handling Complexity in Policy Evaluation” and Defra’s complexity evaluation framework.

Course Fees:

Tickets for this workshop are available on an Early Bird Rate until 11th May 2025, as follows:

• Government / commercial: £300 per person (or £375 if booked from 12/5/25)
• Staff at academic / charitable institutions: £275 per person (or £325 if booked from 12/5/25)
• Students (including Postgraduate Researchers): £250 per person (or £285 if booked from 12/5/25)

All prices are exclusive of VAT where applicable.

The CECAN research centre has funding for a limited number of bursaries to support Early Career Researchers and Postgraduate Researchers working across the social and natural sciences to further develop their skills in policy evaluation methods from a complex systems perspective - more information here.

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By completing your booking you are agreeing to the CECAN Ltd Delegate Booking Terms and Conditions and the CECAN Ltd Delegate Privacy Policy, both of which are shown on this page.

CECAN Ltd is the commercial arm of the ESRC funded Centre for Evaluating Complexity across the Nexus (CECAN). It offers access to innovative policy evaluation approaches and methods to support decision makers.

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Payment can be made by credit/debit card. If you wish to pay by invoice, simply select "pay by invoice" under payment method on the registration page and provide your billing details (PO number, company name, address and email address along with a new supplier form if required) by email to admin@cecan.co.uk and we will raise an invoice for you. Please note that there will be an additional 10% processing fee for payments made by invoice.

Are tickets refundable?

Please see our booking Ts and Cs which are available on this page.

I have a question about this course, can I contact you?

If you have any questions please contact CECAN Ltd by email: training@cecan.co.uk

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