Evaluating Outcomes of Prevention

Programs

FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community Based Child Abuse Prevention

A Service of the Children’s Bureau

www.friendsnrc.org

Overview of the Day

• Review of Logic Models: a template for planning, evaluating, and reporting

• Using data to develop and maintain a CQI environment

• Administering the Protective Factors Survey (PFS)

• Identifying other methods for measuring outcomes

• Managing and reporting on outcomes

If you measure it, it’s more likely to get done.

If you don’t measure results, how do you know you’ve succeeded?

And, how do you tell others what you’ve done? How do you learn what needs improvement?

We also need to show funders, staff, & parents that their time, money & efforts are well spent.

Plus, with limited funding opportunities . . . .

Tell me, why evaluate?

Good evaluation could lead to better chances of funding?

Well. . . yes

Evidence-based and evidence-

informed programs require

evaluation

I’m convinced. . . How do I get

started?

It all begins with a logic model . . .

What is that fancy one-paged chart?

It’s all of that and more!

Friends, it’s a Logic Model!

Is it a program map? A tool for planning evaluation? A report template? Is it a requirement for grant applications?

Yes! A logic Model outlines:

Where you want to go. How you plan to get there What will you see that tells you you’ve arrived at your destination

If we do this . . . Then this will happen . . .

A Program Map? !

Yes! A logic model can specify the tools that will be used to measure to what degree you achieved your desired outcomes

A tool for planning

evaluations?

Yes!

When you’re ready to report on your services, pull out your logic model and use it as a template to organize your report.

A report template?

Yes! Most grant applications are asking for a logic model as part of the proposal.

Don’t leave home without one.

A requirement for grant

applications?

Logic Model Components

• Vision

• Population

• Services

• Assumptions

• Resources

• Outcomes

• Indicators

• Measurement Tools

Remember: These compone

nts sometime

s go by different names.

A broad statement of well-being; the long-term impact on social, economic or environmental conditions.

Examples: * Children &Youth are Nurtured, Safe & Engaged

* Families are Strong & Connected

* Communities are Caring and Responsive

* From Pathways to the Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect, Pathways Mapping Initiative , Schorr, & Marchand, 2007

http://www.dss.cahwnet.gov/CDSSWEB/entres/pdf/Pathway.pdf

Vision (Goal, impact, long-term outcome)

Population (consumers, participants,

audience)

• Who are your participants? • What are their characteristics and

demographics?• What are their needs?• How do you know?

– Needs assessments– Focus groups

Services (outputs, Activities)

• Based on the needs assessment of your target population-– What services are you providing/will you

provide?(You will revisit this section as you

move further in your logic model)

– What will they look like?– How frequently will they occur?

Assumptions (theory of change, research base)

•What assumptions are you making that suggest your services will be successful?

•Services should be based on what is known to be effective.

•Your research into assumptions should result in understanding the degree to which you are providing evidence-based services.

Assumptions, continued

If uncertain of the empirical foundations of your approach, now is the time to stop and investigate what works. This link will help get you started:

http://www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/programs/whatworks/index.cfm

The FRIENDS website has additional guidelines on Evidence-Based Practices. Please check the site regularly http://www.friendsnrc.org

Services • Twelve 1 hour parenting education sessions using

the ”Safe Homes” curriculum. • Access to concrete materials (such as fencing, stair

gates, car seats, etc.)

Assumptions

Two evaluations of the Safe Homes curriculum (Fisher, 2000, Hale & Carter, 2003), each conducted over a 3-year period, found that children of parents who had participated in the program were 50% less likely to experience preventable injuries than children in comparison groups.

Resources (inputs)

Do you have the infrastructure needed?• Based on the services you identify, –What resources do you need?– If you don’t have them, can you get them?

The Implementation Plan worksheet on the FRIENDS web-site can help.

http://www.friendsnrc.org/download/dtappendices.pdf

page 45

Movement towards or attainment of a change in attitude, belief, behavior.

Ask yourself: “If you conduct your program’s activities, and succeed with participants, what do they believe, know, have or do as a result?

Outcomes (Goals, objectives)

•Engagement outcomes: First steps: gaining trust, interest and involvement

•Learning outcomes: Changes in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs

Short-Term Outcomes(engagement, knowledge)

Intermediate• Moving from learning to action

• Practicing and refining new skills

• Adopting or changing behaviors

Intermediate Outcomes(practice)

Long-Term Outcomes(integration)

Long-term• When participants have integrated new

behaviors into their lives over time.

• Consistently practicing new skills and behaviors

Who (example: Participants)

Will Do (example: will describe)

What (example: a child-safe home)

The FRIENDS Evaluation toolkit has examples of outcomes a click away!

http://www.friendsnrc.org/outcome/toolkit/outin.htm

Writing Outcome Statements

• Short-term: Participants demonstrate knowledge of how to appropriately supervise their children.

• Intermediate: Participants provide appropriate supervision of their children.

• Long-term: Participants provide appropriate supervision according to the changing needs of the children as they grow and develop.

Formatting Outcomes

Desired Change

Evidence of Change

Outcomes need indicators

• Indicators are specific signs needed to track progress

• Indicators answer the question: What would I see or hear that would tell me that the outcome was being achieved?

• Can spell out a level of achievement to attain in #’s or %’s

Indicators (performance indicators)

Participants appropriately manage child behavior.

Participants encourage positive

behaviors

Participants set realistic, age-appropriate household

rules.

Participants consistently enforce

their household rules.Participants enforce rules

without coercion or physical punishment

Participants encourage positive behaviors

Participants state expectations clearly

Participants look for their children’s “good” behavior

Participants use words of

encouragement to their children

Participants model appropriate behavior

Setting Benchmarks

• You may need to identify performance targets (benchmarks) for each indicator).

• If possible, set benchmarks based on earlier evaluations.

• If you need to set benchmarks before you provide service, consult with peers to set realistic benchmarks and adjust them based on your evaluation findings.

Parents demonstrate knowledge of how to provide a safe home

environment for their children.

80% of the participants name 6 features of a

child-safe house.

80% of the participants identify at least 6

common household hazards.

80% of participants describe how to

eliminate or reduce at least 6 household

hazards.

Measures

Indicators

Outcomes

How will you know if you’ve achieved targeted outcomes?

OutcomeStudent is proficient in 4th grade math.

One Indicator: Student knows multiplication tables up to 12

One Measure:Student scores 90% in the Tedious Tables in the Nuts about Numbers

text book

Measurement Tools “test” whether the indicator was

achieved.

Participants foster their infant’s social/emotional development

Parents correctly identify their infants verbal and non-verbal cues

Subscale 3 on the NCAST PCI Feeding and Teaching Scales.

Selecting Measurement Tools

Look for tools that are

• linked to outcomes

• culturally appropriate

• valid and reliable

• practical (think time & money)

Compendium of annotated tools: http://www.friendsnrc.org/outcome/toolki

t/annot.htm

Children receiving a dental check-up

Parents who attended a parent/teacher conference

Mothers who received pre-natal care

Number of fathers who maintained regular contact with their children

Simple Counts & Checklists

Is your home safe for children? Bathroom:

All medications are kept out of reach and sight of

my children.

Chemicals I use for cleaning sinks, toilets and

floors are inaccessible to children.

Example Counts and Checklists

Public Agency Records

• Police Reports

• CPS Records

• Court Records

• School Records

A potentially good data source but there’s a lot to consider before using them. Informed consent, reliability of data, accessibility . . .

You may choose to construct your own tools

This should be undertaken very cautiously. Check out the FRIENDS Evaluation Toolkit for information.

friendsnrc.org

Qualitative Data

Captures information that evaluation tools can’t always capture. Can be gathered through Surveys, interviews, focus groups, key informants, case notes, observations

For more information: FRIENDS Guide to Qualitative Evaluation:

http://www.friendsnrc.org/download/outcomeresources/qualitativedata.pdf

“The horror of that moment,” the King went on, “I shall never, NEVER forget!”

“You will, though,” the Queen said, “if you don’t make a memorandum of it.”

Lewis Carroll, Through the

Looking Glass

Continuous Quality Improvement is.

a process to ensure programs are systematically and intentionally increasing positive outcomes for the families they serve. It is about getting better and better. 

Instead of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” CQI emphasizes that even if programs aren’t broken, they can always be improved.”

FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community Based Child Abuse PreventionA Service of the Children’s Bureau

Plan, Do, Study, Act Cycle

PLAN services that are responsive to consumer needs &

desires evidence based or evidence

informed mapped in a logic model

Develop a manualPlan your evaluation methods

FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community Based Child Abuse PreventionA Service of the Children’s Bureau

Do

Provide services–Hire, train and supervise staff–Document activities–Monitor fidelity–Collect data

–formally–informally

FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community Based Child Abuse PreventionA Service of the Children’s Bureau

StudyStudy your data

•formally, in the course of staff supervision, full staff meetings, board meetings, and

•informally, through daily discussions with staff and participants; self-assessment of job performance, observation of day-to-day participant progress and satisfaction.

FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community Based Child Abuse PreventionA Service of the Children’s Bureau

Act

Act by adjusting practices•formally, at the agency level by adopting new practices, programs, policies and procedures based on findings

•informally, by making personal adjustments to improve job performance

Plan, Do, Study, Act may begin as a linear process but soon all steps are happening all the time.

What Drives CQI?S

afe

En

vir

on

men

t• System Wide• Consumer Involvement• Logic Model • Manual• Staff• Evaluation• Data Driven Decision

Making

CQI Self Assessment Tool

• What CQI activities are occurring in your agency?

• How you would like to strengthen the atmosphere of CQI in your agency?

The Protective Factors Survey (PFS)

It is difficult to show that a program prevented negative things from happening

Increasing protective factors minimizes the risk for maltreatment

The Protective Factors Survey is one way to measure the effectiveness of prevention programs.

Protective Factors

•There is no single cause of child maltreatment.

•a number of risk factors or attributes commonly associated with maltreatment.

•a number of protective factors to reduce the occurrence of child maltreatment.

Risk FactorsParent Factors – mental health, substance abuse, attitudes and knowledge, age

Family Factors – economics, stress, domestic violence, household size,

Child Factors – Age, disabilities, temperament

Environmental Factors – poverty, unemployment, lack of social support, and community violence

Understanding the Risk Factors

Even though certain factors are present where maltreatment occurs, this does not mean that the presence of these factors will always result in child abuse and neglect.

Most people living in poverty do not harm their children.

Protective Factors

Factors that can protect families and promote resilience.

A Protective Factors framework focuses on prevention strategies based on building strengths with families rather than exclusively on risks and deficits.

Strengthening Families & the PFS

CBCAP/PSF

Parental ResilienceFamily Functioning/Resiliency

Social Connections Social Emotional Support

Parenting KnowledgeKnowledge of Parenting/ Child Development

Concrete Support in Times of Need

Concrete Support

Social & Emotional Competence of Children

Nurturing and Attachment

CSSP

The relationship between the PFS & other measures

• All four subscales of the PFS were:

– significantly negatively correlated with child abuse potential and stress

– significantly positively related to optimism and the adaptive coping strategy of positive reframing

• All subscales except Concrete Support were significantly negatively related to depression and positively related to positive affect

Predictive validity of the PFS

• Time One PFS subscales were negatively related to Time Two stress and depression

• Time One PFS subscales were positively related to all six subscales of the Rand Health Survey at Time Two

Survey Administration

Staff preparation

SettingIndividual or group

Informed Consent

Instructions ScriptsParaphrasing

Data Management

Enter data

Store raw data in secure location

Destroy surveys within prescribed time frames

FRIENDS PSF Database

Resources

• Survey materials– Training manual, PFS technical

information handout, survey, reports all available at www.friendsnrc.org

– FRIENDS database

How can I find other evaluation tools?

The FRIENDS Evaluation Toolkit and Logic Model Builder includes a compendium of evaluation tools.

Access it at: http://www.friendsnrc.org/outcome/toolkit/annot.htm

Reporting on Outcomes

The report should include:

•Executive Summary

•Body of the Report

– Use your logic model as a map for developing this major section of the report

•Conclusion

The Body of the Report

Population Targeted/Population Served

Services Planned/Services Provided (include info on Implementation & Fidelity)

Assumptions/Underlying theory

Outcomes Projected

Evaluation Methodology

Outcome Achievement

Analysis of Results

Future Planning

Contact Information

Casandra FirmanTraining and Technical Assistance Coordinator

FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community Based Child Abuse Prevention

(360) 769-7167 cfirman@wavecable.com

FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community Based Child Abuse Prevention

A Service of the Children’s Bureau