External Evaluation of the Jobs Fund Project, by m&esure

Key Findings

RELEVANCE:

The CK project addresses significant developmental and psychosocial challenges in South African schools, particularly in socio-economically disadvantaged areas. Challenges include mental health issues, substance abuse, self-harm, bullying, violence, family dysfunction, and limited emotional support. By integrating accessible psychosocial support into schools, CK aligns with national and local priorities, directly responding to the needs of learners, educators, and communities.

CK’s strategy and activities—such as crisis response, counselling sessions, Anchoring life-skill workshops, and capacity-building training—are tailored to the specific needs of learners, schools, and communities. Stakeholder involvement has been central to the project’s planning and implementation, ensuring that CK remains relevant and effective.
Educators and principals report substantial improvements in learner behaviour, academic outcomes, emotional wellbeing, and school culture, validating CK’s approach.
The project’s strategy, objectives, and assumptions are appropriate and effectively support achieving intended outcomes. CK activities consistently align with desired impacts, reducing barriers to learning, enhancing educational outcomes, and addressing the broader community. Stakeholders advocate for the continued expansion of CK, recognizing its crucial role in addressing systemic psychosocial and educational needs across South African schools.

COHERENCE:

The CK model demonstrates strong internal coherence through its holistic and integrated approach to psychosocial support, effectively combining mental health counselling, social-emotional learning, educator training, and parental engagement within school environments. A key strength lies in CK’s structured method of embedding mental health professionals, such as Social Workers and Mental Health First Aiders, directly into schools, ensuring consistency rather than sporadic support. Additionally, CK enhances the sustainability of its interventions by aligning educator training in trauma-informed practices and social-emotional learning with learner-focused activities, reinforced by parental engagement strategies aimed at fostering supportive home environments. 
However, implementation varies due to differences in school leadership, educator buy-in, and community involvement, while administrative tasks can also detract from direct learner engagement. Despite these challenges, CK’s integrated service delivery remains largely coherent internally, and addressing operational efficiencies and professional development opportunities for staff could further strengthen the model’s effectiveness.

EFFECTIVENESS:

The CK mental health service effectively achieved or exceeded most project objectives, surpassing targets in job creation, school partnerships, and beneficiary reach—employing 77 previously unemployed individuals, partnering with 44 schools, and supporting over 133,024 learners. Although training targets for Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) were only partially met due to external constraints, CK demonstrated effectiveness in improving learner mental health through structured interventions, counselling, resilience programmes, and community engagement. Expansion into underserved rural areas was effective. High staff retention and professional development contributed positively to psychosocial outcomes, reduced harmful behaviours, and improved school climates. 
Implementation challenges included stigma around mental health, administrative burdens, workforce readiness, staff fatigue, limited parental engagement, and sustainability concerns linked to funding constraints. Nonetheless, CK’s holistic approach successfully fostered supportive educational environments and strengthened mental health resilience among learners and educators.

EFFICIENCY:

The CK JF project successfully delivered most planned activities and met or exceeded set targets, effectively utilizing technical and financial resources. Key efficiencies included timely mental health service deployment in schools via a structured two-tier support model (MHFAs and Social Workers). Recruitment exceeded targets (77 hires against a goal of 64), though training efficiency showed mixed outcomes, indicating potential for more tailored, cost-effective models. Operational efficiency improved through streamlined school operations. Challenges included frequent administrative system changes and funding constraints, highlighting sustainability risks. Strong financial management and underspending allowed resource reallocation for project extension, reflecting efficient resource management and value-for-money.

IMPACT:

The JF support significantly expanded CK’s operational capacity from 17 schools in 2017 to 89 schools in 2024, greatly increasing its potential for nationwide impact in South Africa.
Beyond achieving contracted outcomes, CK has produced additional positive impacts, such as improved academic performance, notably increased matric pass rates linked to structured mental health interventions, resilience training, and stress management workshops. The innovative strategy of training community members as Mental Health First Aiders, in collaboration with qualified professionals, offers substantial potential for replication and scaling in educational and healthcare settings, representing a sustainable frontline mental health support model.
However, CK faced unintended negative impacts, including challenges arising from perceptions that ongoing state funding partnerships could restrict future funding opportunities, and significant pressures to sustain employment created through JF funding amidst limited public resources. Despite these challenges, CK’s comprehensive, multi-level approach—covering individual counselling (micro-level), school-wide initiatives (meso-level), and systemic change efforts (macro-level)—shows strong potential for sustained positive outcomes and promotes systemic prioritization of mental health within educational settings.

SUSTAINABILITY:

The sustainability of the Community Keepers programme is dependent on multiple interconnected factors, primarily financial sustainability, institutional commitment, external partnerships, community engagement, and governmental support. Financial sustainability remains a significant challenge due to dependence on donor contributions and limited funding from low-fee schools and government. Diversifying funding sources through corporate partnerships, government collaboration, commercial activities, and independent fundraising is crucial to ensuring ongoing stability. Institutional sustainability is strengthened by embedding CK’s services into school operations, supported by strong leadership and continuous educator training, thereby creating resilience even in the absence of external funding. External partnerships with specialised NGOs and community organisations expand service provision and resource diversification, enhancing long-term impact. Community engagement, particularly through local capacity building and increased parental involvement, can deepen ownership and extend CK’s benefits beyond direct interventions. Finally, governmental and civil society support, through integration into educational frameworks and sustained technical and financial assistance, is essential for scaling and replicating CK’s model, ensuring its lasting impact.

JOB CREATION MODEL PROFICIENCY:

CK’s job creation model has effectively created quality employment within mental health, social work, and education sectors. The jobs created offer substantial professional growth, skill enhancement, and clear career progression, aligning with permanent job creation and innovation objectives. Employees gain structured experience in therapeutic interventions and counselling, significantly boosting their employability. High job satisfaction, indicated by 81% of staff intending long-term employment, reflects the model’s sustainability. 
However, ongoing sustainability requires consistent funding and competitive remuneration to retain critical roles.
To improve sustainability and scalability, CK should consider enhancing career pathways through specialized training and clearer advancement opportunities. Strategic collaborations with educational institutions, government entities, and NGOs, as well as deeper policy engagement and community expansion, could amplify impact. Additionally, implementing robust long-term tracking mechanisms would ensure continuous refinement, relevance, and effectiveness of CK’s model.