Guidance

Evaluation of the European Social Fund 2014 to 2020

Guidance and documents about the monitoring and evaluation of the European Social Fund 2014 to 2020 Programme.

Documents

Details

Guidance on the requirement for all European Social Fund (ESF) and Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) providers to record and share individual participant contact details.

This guidance should be used by all:

  • grant beneficiary organisations, including ‘direct bid’ organisations
  • Co-Financing Organisations (CFOs)
  • partners and Intermediate Bodies (IBs)

ESF is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds, which provide funding for projects that create jobs and support local growth.

The ESF Evaluation Team based at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the European Social Fund in England.

Evaluations undertaken during the 2014 to 2020 programme period will provide evidence to understand and track progress against the delivery of the England ESF Operational Programme for 2014 to 2020. This is specifically for the 2 priority axes covering:

  • inclusive labour markets
  • skills for growth

The ESF programme continues to invest in projects after the transition period ended on 31 December 2020. All funding must finish by the end of 2023.

Published 5 September 2016
Last updated 18 March 2024 + show all updates
  1. Removal of Annex 1 form as no longer valid.

  2. Attachment "European Social Fund (ESF) and Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) participant contact details" withdrawn

  3. Removed Annex IV (creating and saving a .psv file) from this page - the information in the annex has been issued to Grant Recipients as needed.

  4. Annex VI: Secure email (SMIME/SEM) guidance; ESF Skills for Jobs Study 216 to 2018 information sheet; and the YEI impact evaluation participant information sheet has been removed as they are no longer required.

  5. The European Social Fund (ESF) and Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) participant contact details guidance has been updated.

  6. Guidance on European Social Fund (ESF) and Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) participant contact details has been updated.

  7. Added revised version of 'ESF Skills for Jobs study 2016 to 2018 information sheet'. The revised version includes a new section explaining what DWP will do with data gathered as part of the study.

  8. The ESF Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) Impact Evaluation Participant Information Sheet has been added.

  9. Annex 1: ESF Participant contact details data schema, version 2 published. Guidance on ESF and YEI participant contact details published with line removed stating that Annex 1 will be published in August. ESF Skills for Jobs study 2016 to 2018 information sheet contact details updated.

  10. Revised guidance on ESF and YEI participant contact details. Added Annex IV 'Creating and saving a .psv file'. Annex I 'Data Schema for participant contact details' has been removed.

  11. Published a revised version of the ESF Skills for Jobs study 2016 to 2018 information sheet - version 2.

  12. Added the ESF Skills for Jobs study 2016 to 2018 information sheet.

  13. Revised version of annex 1 data schema for participant details.

  14. Guidance on ESF and YEI participant contact details has been amended.

  15. First published.