Initial Submission
Stakeholders
The stakeholders in the agency I am evaluating are the program director, Kim Burke, the children referred to the program who are receiving emergency care, the families of children referred to the program, and program staff. The program director has a vested interest in the outcome of the program and its success and will play a key role in the evaluation process.
Type of Evaluation
I will use a summative evaluation for my program. The summative evaluation will determine the outcome of the program as well as the effect on the population I am evaluating. The program will be assessed using various research methods to gain an accurate evaluation. Assessing the program for effectiveness will help determine the success of the program as well as areas of change. In the summative evaluation, I am looking for the outcome of children placed in the program and the program’s effectiveness in the community.
Evaluation Question
My evaluation question is does this program (Loudoun Homes for Children) decrease the percentage of children in foster care in the county?
I am evaluating the program’s effectiveness within the community and if it decreases the number of children in foster care. While the program offers an alternative to foster care, I want to evaluate the program’s system approach. I want to evaluate how a child qualifies for the program, the number of families participating in the program, if there is a shortage of families for emergency housing, and how this program affects this population within the community. I want to evaluate what role the program plays in decreasing the number of children in foster care.
Data Collection Methods
The sources I will use within my evaluation would be program staff and observers. For evaluation purposes, observers are family members of program participants. While I would like to collect data from program participants, I don’t believe that would be realistic as the population are children. It’s important to include data collection through multiple sources. Through multiple sources I will capture a more accurate evaluation of the program and identify any discrepancies found.
The measures I will use in my evaluation are interviews, written surveys, and agency records. Evaluations through written surveys will help gain a better understanding of the program effectiveness. I will use the Likert rating scale in my written survey and open-ended questions in my interviews. Interviews is another source of data collection I plan to utilize; however, I may not gain access to interviewing program participants due to confidentiality reasons. If so, I will interview the program director, Kim Burke and program staff. The key points during the interview are the program effectiveness within the community, qualification process, and children placed in foster care versus the program. Agency records will give me an accurate depiction of how many children received placements as well as records of children who were placed in the foster care system. The records will give numerical data on whether the program decreases the number of children placed in foster care.
Research Methods
My evaluation will contain a mixed-use form of research. This research method includes qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data is the non-numerical data collected through my written surveys and interviews. Quantitative data is the numerical data collected through agency records. I will summarize the qualitative data collected in a narrative format to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. The quantitative data will be used to determine if the program decreases the number of children placed in foster care in the county. This research method works best in addressing my evaluation question because the information provided will give me an understanding of how the program decreases the number of children placed in foster care. It will provide information on the alternative to foster care and how the program impacts the community.
Reference
Posavac, E. J. (2011). Program Evaluation: Methods and Case Studies (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN-13:978-0-205-80497-9.
Final Submission: The changes made from professor feedback.
Stakeholders
The stakeholders in the agency I am evaluating are the program director, Kim Burke, the children referred to the program who are receiving emergency care, the families of children referred to the program, and program staff. The program director has a vested interest in the outcome of the program and its success and will play a key role in the evaluation process.
Type of Evaluation
I will use a summative evaluation for my program. The summative evaluation will determine the outcome of the program as well as the effect on the population I am evaluating through using surveys as well as through interviews with program staff. The program will be assessed using various research methods to gain an accurate evaluation. Assessing the program for effectiveness through surveys will help determine the success of the program as well as areas of change. In the summative evaluation, I am looking for the outcome of children placed in the program and the program’s effectiveness in the community.
Evaluation Question
My evaluation question is does this program (Loudoun Homes for Children) decrease the percentage of children in foster care in the county? I am evaluating the program’s effectiveness within the community and if it decreases the number of children in foster care. While the program offers an alternative to foster care, I want to evaluate the program’s system approach. I want to evaluate how a child qualifies for the program, the number of families participating in the program, if there is a shortage of families for emergency housing, and how this program affects this population within the community. I want to evaluate what role the program plays in decreasing the number of children in foster care.
Data Collection Methods
The sources I will use within my evaluation would be program staff and observers. For evaluation purposes, observers are family members of program participants. While I would like to collect data from program participants, I don’t believe that would be realistic as the population are children. It’s important to include data collection through multiple sources. Through multiple sources I will capture a more accurate evaluation of the program and identify any discrepancies found.
The measures I will use in my evaluation are interviews, written surveys, and agency records. Evaluations through written surveys will help gain a better understanding of the program effectiveness. I will use the Likert rating scale in my written survey and open-ended questions in my interviews. Interviews is another source of data collection I plan to utilize; however, I may not gain access to interviewing program participants due to confidentiality reasons. If so, I will interview the program director, Kim Burke and program staff. The key points during the interview are the program effectiveness within the community, qualification process, and children placed in foster care versus the program. Agency records will give me an accurate depiction of how many children received placements as well as records of children who were placed in the foster care system. The records will give numerical data on whether the program decreases the number of children placed in foster care.
Research Methods
My evaluation will contain a qualitative data method. This research method includes qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data is the non-numerical data collected through my written surveys and interviews. I will summarize the qualitative data collected in a narrative format to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. The qualitative data will be used to determine if the program decreases the number of children placed in foster care in the county. This research method works best in addressing my evaluation question because the information provided will give me an understanding of how the program decreases the number of children placed in foster care. It will provide information on the alternative to foster care and how the program impacts the community.
Reference
Posavac, E. J. (2011). Program Evaluation: Methods and Case Studies (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN-13:978-0-205-80497-9.