ERIC Number: EJ1109771
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Sep
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1049-7315
EISSN: N/A
Challenges in Using Comparison Data in Child Welfare Evaluations
White, Catherine Roller; O'Brien, Kirk; Davis, Cynthia W.; Rogg, Carla; Rudlang-Perman, Kristen; Morgan, Linda Jewell; Houston, Millicent
Research on Social Work Practice, v26 n5 p572-582 Sep 2016
Objective: This article describes the evaluation of permanency roundtables, an intervention to help youth in foster care achieve legal permanency and the challenges evaluators faced in finding and using appropriate comparison data. Method: In 2009, permanency roundtables were conducted for 496 children in Georgia, most of whom had spent extended time in care. Half (50%) achieved legal permanency within 24 months of the roundtables. Results: Five potential sources of comparison data, none of which provide an ideal comparison, are presented and discussed. Conclusions: Ideally, evaluators should plan for one or more comparison groups at the very beginning of the evaluation. However, post hoc comparisons should not be dismissed altogether. The challenge for evaluators is to generate valid comparison groups to determine whether an intervention made a significant improvement, despite challenges such as limited funding, tight timelines, and unmeasured contextual differences between groups.
Descriptors: Child Welfare, Welfare Services, Evaluation Problems, Program Evaluation, Performance Factors, Comparative Analysis, Data Analysis, Intervention, Foster Care, Legal Aid, Focus Groups, Matched Groups, Social Services, Time Perspective
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Georgia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A