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Session Title: The Safe Start Demonstration Project: Design, Approaches and Outcomes of Evaluating a Systems Change Continuum of Care for Children Exposed to Violence
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Panel Session 318 to be held in Washington Room on Thursday, November 8, 9:35 AM to 11:05 AM
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Sponsored by the Health Evaluation TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| David Chavis,
Association for the Study and Development of Community,
dchavis@capablecommunity.com
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| Discussant(s):
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| Kristen Kracke,
United States Department of Justice,
kristen.kracke@usdoj.gov
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| Abstract:
Between 2000 and 2005, the Safe Start Demonstration Project was implemented in 11 sites located in diverse settings (e.g., urban, rural and tribal communities) throughout the United States. During this time more than 15,000 children exposed to violence and their families were involved in a continuum of care addressing their multiple needs.
The evaluation of the Safe Start Demonstration project provides a model for evaluating a continuum of care for children exposed to violence. This panel will provide an overview of the methods and results of the evaluation focusing on innovative approaches to evaluating of this type of initiative. A discussion of the application of a case study methodology to help stakeholders understand the outcomes and impact of a continuum of care for children exposed to violence will be included. Also, the session will discuss the uses of an innovative process to develop site level research incubators in order to strengthen evaluation learning.
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Overview of the Design of the National Evaluation of the Safe Start Demonstration Project
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| David Chavis,
Association for the Study and Development of Community,
dchavis@capablecommunity.com
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As part of the national evaluation for the Safe Start Demonstration Project, the National Evaluation Team (NET) was expected to conduct a cross-case analysis and generate a report that highlighted patterns across the 11 grantees' efforts. This presentation will provide an overview of the Safe Start Program and its evaluation design. It will also include a discussion of the development of the research incubator as a means to strengthen the understanding of site based issues.
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Applying a Theory of Change Approach to the Evaluation of the Safe Start Demonstration Project
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| Mary Hyde,
Association for the Study and Development of Community,
mhyde@capablecommunity.com
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| David Chavis,
Association for the Study and Development of Community,
dchavis@capablecommunity.com
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Between 2000 and 2005, the Safe Start Demonstration Project was implemented in 11 sites located in diverse settings (e.g., urban, rural and tribal communities) throughout the United States. During this time more than 15,000 children exposed to violence and their families were identified, and when appropriate, provided mental health treatment and services to address their multiple needs. This presentation will discuss the evaluation of the national initiative which utilized a process of testing a theory of change for the development of a continuum of care for children exposed to violence. It will also discuss how critical evaluation questions regarding if and how the initiative worked were documented using a cross-site case study methodology grounded in the theory of change.
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Using Process Evaluation Findings and Grantee Level Activities to Generate an Understanding of Systems Change Strategies in a Continuum of Care for Children Exposed to Violence
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| Mary Hyde,
Association for the Study and Development of Community,
mhyde@capablecommunity.com
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| David Chavis,
Association for the Study and Development of Community,
dchavis@capablecommunity.com
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During the implementation of the Safe Start Demonstration Project (2000-2006) the Safe Start National Evaluation Team used several evaluation activities to discover and understand the impact of the project on children exposed to violence and their families, the systems (e.g., human services, mental health) with which they interacted and the communities in which they lived. Findings from two of the evaluation activities-annual process evaluations and analyses of grantee level activities identified as promising practices-have been combined in order to map systems change strategies identified through process evaluations with examples of promising practices that supported them. Together, these two evaluation processes yield valuable information for practitioners on how to engage families, systems and communities to create more responsive systems capable of meeting the needs of children exposed to violence. These findings and examples also provide useful strategies and practices for future efforts focused on children exposed to violence.
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Maximizing Data Collection for Children Exposed to Violence
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| S Sonia Arteaga,
Association for the Study and Development of Community,
sarteaga@capablecommunity.com
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| Joie Acosta,
Association for the Study and Development of Community,
jacosta@capablecommunity.com
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The Safe Start Demonstration Project sought to bring about systems change and in the process address practice and research related to exposure to violence among young children (six years and younger). Proper measurement and data collection are essential for developing effective programs and interventions for children's exposure to violence. Based upon discussions with practitioners and researchers, a review of the literature, and a review of practices by Safe Start Demonstration grantees, this presentation will describe the factors that influence practitioners and researchers to choose measures, commonalities in their criteria for children's exposure to violence measures, the process by which practitioners and researchers jointly select and implement measures, and promising data collection practices. The commonalities include: a measure that is brief, non-intrusive, has good psychometric properties, and is clinically useful. Practices for engaging and retaining families and service providers in data collection, maximizing and managing data collection, and data-based decision-making will be discussed.
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