Home > Program Evaluations: A Synthesis of Lessons Learned by Child Neglect Demonstration Projects

Program Evaluation: A Synthesis of Lessons Learned by Child Neglect Demonstration Projects
Grantee Lessons Learned

Author(s):  United States. Children's Bureau.

Year Published:  2005

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You are in section: Table of Contents 1 - Challenges and Successful… 2 - Lessons Learned for… 3 - Conclusion Appendix A Appendix B Appendix B Cont. Appendix C Appendix D

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This synthesis was made possible by the Children's Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The conclusions discussed here are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views or policies of the funding agency. Publication does not in any way constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Suggested citation: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2005). Program evaluation: A synthesis of lessons learned by child neglect demonstration projects. Washington, DC: Child Welfare Information Gateway.

In 1996 and 1997, the Children's Bureau funded 10 demonstration projects to address the prevention, intervention, and treatment needs of neglected children and their families. These projects implemented and evaluated a wide variety of service strategies with large numbers of high-risk children and families. The programs varied considerably in terms of theoretical model (psychosocial or ecological), target population, location (in-home or out-of-home), duration, and intensity. The projects provided a great variety of services, including parent education and support, home visits, and referrals to other resources or services in the community. (For information about the programmatic aspects of these projects, see the companion synthesis, Child Neglect Demonstration Projects: A Synthesis of Lessons Learned, published by Child Welfare Information Gateway.) Throughout the course of their 5-year projects, grantees faced a number of common challenges in combining service delivery with a rigorous program evaluation methodology. Despite these challenges, several of the programs conducted very thorough evaluations, and they all reported positive outcomes.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the evaluation of social service programs. Funders and other stakeholders want evidence that programs are achieving their intended outcomes. Practitioners want to develop more effective services by documenting interventions and measuring results, and they want to establish stronger connections between services and outcomes. Therefore, this program evaluation synthesis summarizes the grantees' challenges, strategies, and lessons learned regarding program evaluation, so that these lessons may help future projects develop and implement effective evaluation plans. While some of the lessons learned will be most useful to other programs addressing child neglect, many are applicable to a broader range of social service programs.

Contact information for each program discussed, and information about evaluation designs, instruments, and outcomes, are included in the appendices for readers interested in learning more about individual projects.

1 - Challenges and Successful Strategies for Evaluation Design and Methodology

2 - Lessons Learned for Evaluation Management

3 - Conclusion

4 - Appendix A: Children's Bureau Child Neglect Demonstration Projects

5 - Appendix B: Project Evaluation Information

6 - Appendix C: References for Evaluation Tools and Instruments

7 - Appendix D: Sample Logic Model

You are in section: Table of Contents 1 - Challenges and Successful… 2 - Lessons Learned for… 3 - Conclusion Appendix A Appendix B Appendix B Cont. Appendix C Appendix D

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This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.

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Updated on October 9, 2009