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This updated edition explains what program evaluation is, why evaluation is important, how to conduct an evaluation and understand the results, how to report evaluation findings, and how to use evaluation results to improve programs that benefit children and families. (Author abstract)
This chapter discusses the need for interventions that bring fathers and paternal family members to the table in child protection efforts, and shares a case study from Vermont that illustrates how restorative justice can be used in family group meetings to challenge totalizing characterizations of fathers and men and help social workers partner with families and collaboration with their professional colleagues to create balanced assessment’s and manage risks. 64 references.
Although the 1998 welfare reform law supported the promotion of marriage to reduce poverty, most initiatives have dedicated resources to employment programs for mothers. This chapter describes how marriage can improve child well-being by increasing family income and facilitating relationships between fathers and their children. Lessons learned from programs such as Parents' Fair Share and the Fragile Families Initiative have demonstrated the importance of activities that encourage marital stability and paternal social and emotional involvement at an early age. However, policies must address…
This chapter describes the theoretical foundations of the Positive Paternal Emotional Responsiveness (PPER) subscale of the Fatherhood Scale, which was designed to assess the childhood paternal bonds of adults. The PPER contains 13 questions that focus on the role of the father in the development of a healthy perception of self. Clients are asked to rate their experience with their father as a caring person and the frequency of paternal expressions of praise and love. The results can be used to identify areas for further exploration in therapy, such as strengths in the relationship between…
This paper discusses the process for obtaining grant funds, focusing on a specific project that provides support to pregnant and parenting teens. The paper describes events leading up to the award, and the nature of request for proposals (RFP). Grant proposals should cover: a statement of need; methodology; data collection and analysis; evaluation; and budget. The objectives stated in the pregnant adolescent project proposal include: weekly home visits; monthly group meetings; health services for mother and baby; and media campaigns regarding child abuse and adolescent pregnancy prevention.…
This chapter focuses on the construction of risk indices and their use in predicting correlates of child maltreatment by exploring the relationship between the indices and the outcome measures of the Adolescent Parent Services Evaluation. This 3-year evaluation, which began in the fall of 1987, compared seven new parent programs in seven States offering education support services for pregnant and parenting adolescents. A total of 488 adolescents participated in the study. Using a nonequivalent control group design with each site serving as a comparison group for the others, researchers…
This manual provides an overview of the evaluation process, with special considerations for programs funded by the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF). The text describes why evaluations are important and explains each step of the process, whether an outside evaluator is used or the evaluation is being conducted by in-house staff. Topics include: purpose, cost, types of evaluation teams, selecting and managing outside contractors, organizational preparation for the evaluation, evaluation plans, data collection, analysis, and reports. In general, program managers should…
These standards, issued by the Child Welfare League of America, present guidelines for best practice with pregnant adolescents and young parents. The standards describe comprehensive community-based service delivery systems, social work services, health services, and residential services. Recommendations are provided for comprehensive service systems, roles of the child welfare agency, social work services needed during pregnancy, marriage counseling, adoption services, social work services for young parents and their child, medical care, foster family care, and group living facilities. The…
Despite increasing recognition of the role of fathers in the lives of their children, home visitors and child protection workers usually perceive men to be the source of problems and do not include them in their interventions with vulnerable children. Social work tends to marginalize fathers and avoid assessing their risks or benefits to the family. This book outlines theoretical justifications for the engagement of fathers in child protection work and suggests relevant practice strategies. Important concepts from attachment theory, feminist theory, and nursing theory are highlighted. The…
A survey of the fifty States and the District of Columbia on fatherhood initiatives identified 31 commissions, initiatives, and programs, 3 of which were inactive. This report provides a State-by-State profile of the different initiatives. The profiles include information on the development of the program, the mission, duties and responsibilities, meetings and reporting requirements, agency contact, and activities to date. Findings from the survey indicate several States reported that administration and implementation of all, or at least part, of their fatherhood activities were contracted to…
