In human services, clear definition of key concepts and strategies is critical to facilitating training, implementation, and research. This article reflects on methods undertaken to specify the wraparound process for children and families, and considers lessons that may be relevant to defining the system of care concept.

Client drop out from treatment is of great concern to the substance abuse field. Completion rates across modalities vary from low to moderate, not ideal since length of stay has been positively and consistently associated with better client outcomes. The study explored whether client characteristics shown to be related to retention were associated…

The concept of attendant care--provision of personal services to severely disabled individuals--is presented. Data from a survey of about 340 out of 718 consumers of attendant care indicate the existence of a mix of consumer-oriented programs. Consumer preference for a particular program design appeared to be governed by experience. (SLD)

Reports on the design phase of two case studies of two small local human service agencies. The participatory design process is described and the meaning of stakeholder participation is reviewed. The value of stakeholder participation in evaluation design is affirmed. (RB)

This paper identifies and discusses conceptual and methodological issues related to five attributes of emergent programs that frequently apply across the spectrum of human services: undefined client populations, inadequate causal evidence relating inputs to outcomes, shifting objectives, identification of criteria for standarizing treatments, and…

Applied an alternative strategy for assessing the extent of change clients undergo as a result of receiving human services. Used the approach in a survey of parents of 61 young children in an art program. Findings show the feasibility of the service productivity approach. Psychometric properties of the approach were promising. (SLD)

Presents a way to evaluate the impact of local human services delivery systems and illustrates this logic model through the experiences of an urban United Way organization. This experience suggests that the logic model may have applications in planning when the aim is long-term social objectives through short-term interventions. (SLD)

It is difficult to apply benefit cost analysis to human service programs. This paper explains "threshold benefit analysis," the derivation of the minimum dollar value which the benefits must attain in order for their value to equal the intervention costs. The method is applied to a mobility training program. (BS)

Studied the efforts of a state-funded evaluation support unit in Rhode Island to increase evaluation capacity in 13 community-based organizations through a needs assessment, on-site technical assistance, a workshop series, and selected model projects. Measures of organizational needs, staff confidence, and agency progress are used to document…

A pilot study was designed to investigate two needs assessment approaches: social indicators analysis and key informants surveys. Results showed that social indicators analysis was a valid method of assessing human service needs at a general level. (MH)

A methodology for a client-centered assessment of human services needs in a community is described. While the procedures were developed for identifying service needs for substance abusers, with some modification, they can be used in a needs assessment for any social or health problem. (TJH)

Differences in service utilization and community adjustment between community mental health clients with and without substance abuse disorders were studied for 144 outpatients, 37 percent of whom had dual diagnoses (substance abuse and another disorder). The association of dual diagnosis with poor service use and adjustment is discussed. (SLD)

Some of the confusion surrounding evaluations of case management results from lack of clarity about value frames used to arrive at judgments of the merit of case management. Six value frames commonly applied to human service evaluation are reviewed, and the relevance of each perspective is examined. (SLD)

Articles in this special issue suggest improvements in longitudinal program evaluation to meet the challenges of evaluation of human services programs. Contributions describe innovations in design, methods, data analysis, utilization, and interpretation of the findings of longitudinal studies. (SLD)

Some of the major issues related to planning evaluations of federal human services national demonstration programs are discussed. Barriers to conducting evaluations are discussed for the policy level and cross-site and within-site evaluation contexts. Among the proposed solutions is the use of an explicit programmatic developmental sequence. (SLD)