Meet the Team

Ciaran Boylan

Ciaran Boylan (BA Hons, Dip M) has been a director of Locus since its formation in April 1997. Before establishing the company Ciaran was head of Economic Development at Antrim Borough Council having previously held development posts in the community and European consultancy sectors.

Ciaran’s expertise includes:

• Enterprise and business development
• Local economic development
• Employability and skills
• Social inclusion
• Conflict resolution

Ciaran has been at the forefront of employability related work in Belfast in particular and is widely recognised for his knowledge in this area.

Maria Curran

Maria Curran (MBA, BA Hons, Dip M) is a Director with LOCUS and joined the company in 1998. Maria has 15 years experience working in the local development sector. This includes time spent in the community sector, where she managed a social enterprise company for 5 years and experience in the public sector where she worked for the Northern Ireland Partnership Board, responsible for the Peace 1 Programme.

Maria’s areas of expertise include:

• Evaluation
• Research
• Strategic planning
• Programme development and management
• Community development

Maria has excellent analytical, reporting and communication skills and ensures a very client focussed approach to all aspects of the business through strong client relationship management.

Research

Research is an integral part of all LOCUS assignments. The nature of such research
includes for example:

• Desk based analysis of government policy and statistics to inform strategic development;
• Household surveys to inform a local community audit;
• Telephone and postal surveys to inform local needs / demand analysis;
• Internet based surveys to reach a large and disparate target audience;
• The facilitation of focus groups to enable group discussion and debate;
• One to one consultations.

Our research service is delivered in an objective and professional manner using qualified personnel. All primary research fi ndings are analysed using the widely recognised SPSS package and presented in a comprehensive and detailed report for clients. Such reports will always include a critical appraisal of the implications of the fi ndings for the client, by way of conclusions and recommendations, many of which have informed policy development and local regeneration decisions at a local and regional level.

Clients for whom we have conducted research include:

Evaluation

LOCUS has extensive experience in the completion of Project and Programme Evaluation. Our comprehensive methodologies involve working closely with clients to develop robust and thorough monitoring and evaluation systems that will enable clients to gather information that will determine performance. The implementation of our evaluation methodologies includes:

Development of baselines against which performance can be measured;
Identifi cation of performance indicators;
Measurement of performance indicators using quantitative and qualitative analysis;
Detailed reporting on performance;
Advising on recommendations for improved performance.

LOCUS is currently the NI deliverer for the SPEAK (Strategic Planning Evaluation And Knowledge) self evaluation tool, which is an ICT based model that enables effective project self evaluation and detailed and consistent programme level evaluation. Delivery of SPEAK involves a package of suppor t that includes:

• The provision of customised software
• Training
• Technical support

Clients for whom we have conducted evaluation include:

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is a process by which organisations define their future direction in terms of their vision, aims and objectives. Such processes necessitate the engagement of many stakeholders and need to be informed by thorough research and consultation.

LOCUS is widely experienced in the strategic planning process and the quality of our strategic planning work is based upon our expertise with regard to:

• Research
• Facilitation
• Consultation
• Knowledge of regeneration policy on a regional, national and European context
• Facilitated action planning

The LOCUS approach to strategic planning is one of practical, participative planning, in which LOCUS ensures that those participating are as informed as possible and well facilitated, to enable them to make important strategic decisions. The LOCUS approach also ensures widespread engagement of all relevant stakeholders and recognises and values the importance of facilitating participation.

The quality of our strategic planning work is demonstrated in our ability to contextualise development within current regeneration policy, providing clients with an understanding and appreciation of the policy framework within which their decisions must be made.

Clients for whom we have facilitated strategic planning exercises include:

Organisational / Programme Support

As practitioners who have come from backgrounds working in both the community and public sector, Ciaran Boylan and Maria Curran are recognised as being highly skilled in the delivery and understanding of local regeneration initiatives. This reputation has resulted in the commissioning of LOCUS to provide hands on operational support to a variety of both public and community sector organisations in the delivery of local regeneration initiatives. The nature of this support has included:

• Programme / project management
• Financial management
• Strategic and action planning
• Support to members

Clients for whom we have provided support include:

• West Belfast & Greater Shankill Enterprise Council
• SEUPB
• Carrickfergus Borough Council
• REAP (South Antrim LEADER+)
• Laganside Rural Development

LOCUS has also been successful in the management and delivery of a range of innovative community capacity building programmes which have included:

• SPEAK Self Evaluation programme
• IFI Community Leadership Programme
• Ards Community Capacity Building programme
• Ballymena Community Capacity Building programme