Peer Review

The Network provides opportunities to activate bilateral or multilateral peer review activities among the members aimed at strengthening the organisational capacity of the members and increasing the knowledge of the staff of the members in in a limited number of thematic areas.

WHAT IS A PEER REVIEW?

Peer Review is a form of external evaluation with the aim of supporting the reviewed institution in its quality assurance and quality development efforts.An external group of experts, called Peers, is invited to assess the quality of one or more fields of activity of the institution, such as the quality of service provision of individual departments or services. During the evaluation process, the Peers visit the reviewed institution.Peers are external but work in a similar environment and have specific professional expertise and knowledge of the evaluated subject. They are 2-3 “persons of equal standing” with the persons whose performance is being reviewed. In the framework of the network peer review can be bilateral or multilateral. In the framework of SERN it will be based on reciprocity.

WHY A TRANSNATIONAL PEER REVIEW?

  • obtaining critical yet sympathetic feedback on the quality of their service provision from colleagues in the field,
  • becoming acquainted with an external perspective,
  • ascertaining the quality of the service,
  • presenting strengths and showcasing good practice,
  • detecting blind spots and weaknesses,
  • receiving advice and discovering the good practice of Peers,
  • engaging in mutual learning with Peers,
  • obtaining an external evaluation report on the quality of their service

HOW DOES IT WORK?

  1. The Peer Review starts with a preparatory phase. In this first phase, the Peer Review is organisedand a selfevaluation-Report is written by the organization which is peer reviewed. Peers must be identifiedand get informed about the peer review procedure. A timetableforthe Review is drawn up and arrangements are made for the Peer Visit.
  2. In the second phase, the Peer Visit, which is the core activity of the Peer Review procedure, takesplace: Peers come to visit the hosting municipalityand carry out an evaluation. This evaluation includes atour of the premises and interviews with different groups of stakeholders. The Peers give initial oralfeedback at the end of the Peer Visit.
  3. After the Peer Visit, a draft report is drawn up by the Peers. This report is commented on by thePeer review organization and the final Peer Review Report is issued.
  4. The fourth phase is crucial for the organisation’sdevelopment:results and recommendations from the Peer Review are transferred into concrete actions forimprovement, which are planned and implemented.
Skip to content