The Council’s approach to program evaluation is comprehensive, multi-tiered and includes the following key elements:
How Much Did We Do and How Well Did We Do It?
- Programmatic Monitoring, conducted by Council staff and outsourced professionals with experience unique to their fields of practice, reviews a range of service elements including fidelity to the intervention model, client/family engagement, program effectiveness, cultural sensitivity, funding utilization and analysis of overall service delivery and documentation.
- Administrative Monitoring, conducted by experienced Council staff accountants, reviews the fiscal aspects of the contract, including budget-to-actual, inventory verification, background screening compliance, insurance, audit compliance and invoice accuracy and back-up documentation.
- Client Satisfaction, conducted by Council staff, is determined through individual, random client surveys in person and/or by phone.
Is Anybody Better Off?
- Performance measurement, conducted by experienced Council research analysts, begins with establishing appropriate targets based on national studies and baseline data collected over time. Performance measurement is evaluated using a variety of designs including validated pre/post-test measurement tools, single-point administration and surveys to determine program effectiveness and provide data for comparison with local, state and national indicators.
Monitoring and ongoing reviews verify that these Council-funded programs provide high-quality services to at-risk and high-risk youth and families, with effective service interventions and sound fiscal management. As summarized in the report, Council-funded programs continue to perform exceedingly well.