Social Work Research in Practice II Week 9
Assignment: Drafting a Process Evaluation
The steps for process evaluation outlined by Bliss and Emshoff (2002) may seem very similar to those for conducting other types of evaluation that you have learned about in this course; in fact, it is the purpose and timing of a process evaluation that most distinguishes it from other types of evaluation. A process evaluation is conducted during the implementation of the program to evaluate whether the program has been implemented as intended and how the delivery of a program can be improved. A process evaluation can also be useful in supporting an outcome evaluation by helping to determine the reason behind program outcomes.
There are several reasons for conducting process evaluation throughout the implementation of a program. Chief among them is to compare the program that is being delivered to the original program plan, in order to identify gaps and make improvements. Therefore, documentation from the planning stage may prove useful when planning a process evaluation.
For this Assignment, you either build on the work that you completed in Weeks 6, 7, and 8 related to a support group for caregivers, or on your knowledge about a program with which you are familiar. Review the resource “Workbook for Designing a Process Evaluation”.
Social Work Research in Practice II Week 6 assignment
Tobacco Control Program
A social worker needs to create a precise, thorough plan to verify the success of program evaluation. For instance, it should portray the description of the objective of the program evaluation, information required and the analysis and methods that will be used. Also, it should recognize and solve all the worries of the participants (Dudley, 2014). All the information should be presented in away all the partners will understand. All of these assist the public servant to get the provision required to conduct a practical assessment.
The Stakeholders and Their Role
These are persons who are affected by the consumption of tobacco, such as clients, public affiliates and elected officials. Secondly, they are individuals in management such as program directors and managers, the staff, associates, the subsidy organization and the political unions (Chapter 1). Also, they include the people who can be able to decide on the decisions of the project, for example; policymakers, associates, subsidy agencies, political parties, and the public.
The funders provide financial investments into the program. Also, the program staff brings changes to people’s lives as planned by the program. The program constituents participate by giving feedback on what way it is assisting them to achieve their objectives. Community leaders ensure that the program is making a difference in the community. They could also make changes to the executive team if the application is not working well (Chapter 3). The policymakers check if the program is supporting or opposing their views to help their stories and make their arguments more persuasive.
Concerns
The stakeholders had matters such as an appropriate manner of the financial statements, the influence of administration retirement and moral ways.
Purposes
This initiative uses the process of formative evaluation, which pursues to comprehend whether the approach or application is still carried out, asses the effort if it is marching the outcomes, recognizes firmness plus weakness of the energy and is crucial in communicating to accommodate the hard work (Dudley, 2014). Process evaluation contains four purposes associated with the field of tobacco control and the field of tobacco control: oversee the program, improving it, developing successful models and initiative liability.
This plan of action audit comprises the following, recording and brief contributions plus productivities of the program. For instance, the total amount of money used, turnouts of volunteers, or staff assimilated into events of the plan of action, the number of people reached and others. The improvement of the program to standards by comparing the inputs, activities, and outputs. Such as checking if we are entering the intended targets or if they have the required expertise (Chapter 6). Also, by creating powerful versions, it assesses how by identifying the most effective models the process is connected to conclusions. Like it addresses the weaknesses and strengths in distinct mechanisms in a multiple-stage program or what is the best way for getting the precise outcome, such as attaining no-smoking directions accepted. Finally, program answerability demonstrates to financing in which the program’s assets are used well or if funds have been allocated efficiently (Chapter 4).
Questions Addressed
According to Dudley (2014), some of the questions asked to determine the organization’s evaluation capacity include; does the organization have leaders who are willing to take the risk, share their learning with funders, board members and staff? Does your organization provide funds for evaluation support? Does your evaluation have a culture of using data and knowledge? Does your organization share data across program locations and have a system or process for protecting the data? Does the organization have a staff that has some amount of time dedicated to providing evaluator or funder?
Type of Evaluation
This contains the formative process achievement measure. The evaluators also will assist in projecting partners to collect required data regarding Tobacco control measures. Formulating evaluating approaches leads to productiveness concerning the plan of action, performs and in ways of executing the plan considering the proposed timeline (Logan & Royse, 2010). Throughout the project, formative evaluation data will be shared with all the partners. The proposed schedule is three years to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of the project. Finally, the outcomes shall be encompassed in the findings semi-quarterly.
Addressing the Concerns
According to Dudley (2014), stakeholders should always be assured that their concerns will be discussed and clarified. The ethical dilemma is solved by identifying the problems and making sure they are honest and are founded on real proofs. All the given information must be verified, and it is crucial to determine if there is a conflict of values that should be discussed.
The financial concerns are addressed by assuring the stakeholders that the resources are used most efficiently to ensure the objectives are solved
Monitoring programs, building a successful initiative version, and show obligation are one of the essential parts in identifying ways to improve your program through process evaluation (W. K. Kellogg Foundation, 2017). Process assessment helps to focus your resources and time better to provide the most significant advantage when used in coordination with outcome evaluation. Overtime helps you modify activities and program components efficiently as required. This is as a result of the systematic collection of process information. This increases your capability in solving the health costs of drug usage and approval for funding the program.