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Demonstrating Prevention Program Effectiveness: An Examination of the Validity of the Retrospective Pretest Design
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| Presenter(s):
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| Karin Chang-Rios, University of Kansas, kcr@ku.edu
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| Jacqueline Counts, University of Kansas, jcounts@ku.edu
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| Heather Rasmussen, University of Kansas, hrasmussen@ku.edu
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| Elenor Buffington, University of Kansas, elliebuf@ku.edu
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| Abstract:
Demonstrating effectiveness is a major focus of child abuse prevention programs nationally. Most evaluators in the field use a traditional pretest-posttest design to assess impact, however an increasing number are exploring the retrospective pretest-posttest as a viable replacement. Program staff have been particularly interested in the retrospective because it can be administered at one point in time and overcomes the possibility of response-shift bias. This study examines the comparability and validity of the traditional and retrospective pretest using data from the national Protective Factors Survey. A total of 94 participants from seven agencies completed the Protective Factors Survey and two validity scales (mood and social desirability). This presentation summarizes the study's findings and presents recommendations for evaluators considering use of a retrospective design.
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Realist Evaluation of What Works and in What Contexts in Achieving Scotland's 'Getting it Right for Every Child' Outcomes
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| Presenter(s):
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| Mansoor Kazi, University at Buffalo - State University of New York, mkazi@buffalo.edu
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| Jeremy Akehurst, Moray Council, jeremy.akehurst@moray.gov.uk
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| Abstract:
Moray Council's Children & Family and Criminal Justice Service has been integrating realist evaluation (Kazi, 2003) into practice to investigate what interventions work and in what contexts to achieve the Scottish Government's 'Getting it Right for Every Child' outcomes. This strategy includes the use of reliable outcome measures repeatedly over time, the recording of children and families' contextual data, and information on the services provided. Regular analysis of patterns of change in this data enable a prospective investigation of where services are more or less likely to achieve the desired outcomes, and the repeated analysis of the findings help to better target the services for children and their families. A four-year longitudinal evaluation (n = 134) found that although the program had been effective in reducing the risk of offending and the number of offences, alcohol misuse was a significant barrier to progress for persistent young offenders.
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Understanding the Diverse Contexts of a Multi-site Program: The Utility of In-Depth Telephone Interviews
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| Presenter(s):
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| Anne J Atkinson, PolicyWorks Ltd, ajatkinson@policyworksltd.org
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| Patricia Gonet, Patricia Gonet Ltd, patricia_gonet@earthlink.net
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| Abstract:
Virginia's Adoptive Family Preservation Program (AFP) is a multi-site statewide post-adoption services program serving a broad range of adoptive families in more than a dozen dissimilar community settings. Consistent with a national best practice model for post-adoption services, much emphasis is placed on ensuring that services are family-centered, adoption sensitive, strength focused, and directed by families. 'Listening' to families is an important component of the program's mixed-method comprehensive evaluation; over 600 in-depth telephone interviews have been conducted with adoptive families over the past five years. These interviews have yielded a great deal of rich data on client circumstances, expectations, and needs and on the diverse contexts in which program services are delivered. This workshop focuses on the methodologies employed in the comprehensive evaluation with particular emphasis on the utility of the in-depth interviews for gaining deep insight into important aspects of program context, operation, effects, and outcomes.
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