Suchergebnisse

AbstractPoliticization and a fiscal control emphasis in a state government agency paralyzed the operation of a previously functional and well‐staffed evaluation division, as described in this case study.

AbstractJust as we expend effort to acquire resources to design and conduct effective evaluations, so should our energies be directed at ensuring that evaluations will be used. Suggestions for enhancing the use of evaluation studies are the major focus of this chapter.

Research reports on the housing outcomes for persons who are homeless and mentally ill have focused on client characteristics, program type, and services as independent variables, with mixed results. From social work practice, evaluation theory, and public policy perspectives, context is an important variable. Yet, it has received scant research attention in studies of the outcomes of persons who are mentally ill and homeless. This article summarizes research results from a demonstration project providing outreach or linkage services to this target population, illustrating the significant impact of context variables (site and recruitment source) on client characteristics, implementation, qualitative and quantitative service assessments, and housing outcomes. The discussion suggests how these contextual factors may operate, and it goes on to make recommendations to improve social work research and practice concerning the important dimensions of context that should be assessed.

Models of public response to child sexual abuse have been designed to handle "ordinary" abuse cases, that is, intrafamilial cases with one perpetrator and one victim. These models break down when day-care abuse occurs. In such instances, the scale is larger, the details less predictable, and the context more volatile and more public. The authors review the aspects of day-care-center abuse that complicate public response, based on the results of a national survey. Findings from an intensive case study of a multivictim day-care sexual-abuse case in a small Midwestern community are presented. Analyses suggest ways to improve public response in future cases.

AbstractMultisite evaluations permit testing of contextual effects and allow for positive adaptations to local circumstances. But they can result in a lack of fidelity to the implementation model, a possibility that must be addressed in evaluation design and measurement.