Assignment Task: Submit a several page plan for a process evaluation based on the new program that you proposed earlier in the course.
New program
As discussed in my post this week the plan was to develop a program addressing the needs of adolescents with complex trauma histories and diverse backgrounds specifically for at risk youth from inner-city communities. The program aims to empower youth by developing social and emotional skills, address high risk behaviors and provide alternatives, foster resilience against the adversity of their environments, tailor therapy by incorporating developmental stages and cultural backgrounds, reduce readmission rates through comprehensive supportive after-care. The program is designed and target toward youth who are transitioning into or through adolescence. Youth who have experienced trauma, community violence, family instability, and personal victimization would be prioritized. There would be a focus on clients from inner cities, or minority communities. Included would be youth who are involved in the Juvenile Justice System and those who are facing additional societal discrimination such as LGTBQ+ youth will also be given priority to ensure inclusivity.
As previously discussed in my post this week standard programs fail to address all of the unique complexities of the client population. Evidenced by high rates of relapse and readmission into and out of home setting, which suggests that initial treatments were not fully effective. The program must be relatable to the backgrounds and lived experiences of the clients being served in order to be effective. The Power Source Program has shown the ability to engage this population effectively by focusing on empowerment, building resilience, and coping strategies. Ways in which we can gather credible information is by interviews. Our reading selection tell us that, "an advantage of interviews is that the interviewer can probe more deeply to elicit the views, attitudes, and needs of interviewees, which can result in valuable qualitative data, Dudley, J. R. (2020). Social Work Evaluation: Enhancing what we do. Oxford University Press." My purpose of using an interview would be to gain qualitative insights into person lived experiences of the client, staff and stakeholders.
Another method would be focus groups, as per our reading selection "Focus groups can be used to find out the views of several people on an issue of importance to a needs assessment. Members of focus groups are usually selected because they have personal knowledge about or expertise in a topic. The leader of a focus group facilitates a group discussion by asking members several general questions on the topic (Dudley, J. R. (2020). Social Work Evaluation: Enhancing what we do. Oxford University Press." Incorporating focus groups will aid in promoting a discussion among small groups to explore themes or suggestions for program improvement. The groups can be broken up into clients, caregivers or parents, and community members to better understand everyone's perspectives or point of views. Using these methods will provide a strong foundation for understanding the program's effectiveness and areas for improvement. This feedback loop is important to adapting the program to the growing needs of the youth and ensuring it's success.
Provide a summary of the program and the needs of the target population.
Explain why a process evaluation would be important for the program.
State the type of process evaluation and stage of implementation (when in the program it will occur) and why.
Determine who will conduct the process evaluation (internal or external evaluator). Need Assignment Help?
Include a broad question to be answered by the process evaluation (overarching question).
Identify specific questions to be answered by the process evaluation (subquestions).
Describe a plan for gathering and analyzing the information.
Describe a plan for ongoing evaluations (how often, etc.).