Background: Care and service trajectories for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are routes within the healthcare delivery system that consist of all the steps that people with ID and their families have to take in order to realise the needed care and services. In contrast to the growing system-orientated knowledge concerning quality of…

Although primary care practices and schools are major venues for the delivery of mental health services to children, these systems are disconnected, contributing to fragmentation in service delivery. This paper describes barriers to collaboration across the primary care and school systems, including administrative and fiscal pressures, conceptual…

Background: Community health efforts often include outreach activities designed to increase awareness and ensure uptake of services or programs. Yet, few comprehensive outreach evaluations exist, particularly those designed to improve access to and use of mental health services. Purpose: This article summarizes the use of two established…

The objective of the study was to qualitatively evaluate the managerial and organisational issues associated with service quality in a privately funded alcohol treatment centre in the UK. Two different groups of participants at a private treatment clinic were interviewed. The first group comprised 25 of its patients. The second group comprised 15…

Latest research on the mental health status of children indicates that schools are key providers of mental health services (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). The push for school mental health services has only increased as stakeholders have begun to recognize the significance of sound mental health as an essential part of…

This publication focuses on national and international policy initiatives to develop a better understanding of part-time learners and the types of flexibility that may enhance their study especially pedagogically. As part of our five-strand research project "Flexible Pedagogies: preparing for the future" it: (1) highlights the challenges…

A variety of alternative programs are being implemented in Canada and the United States for students who have exhibited conduct problems and who are suspended or expelled from their schools. Given the complexity of issues that these students frequently face, treatment must be multifaceted, wrap-around, delivered by trained professionals and be…

The nine articles of this special section focus on the role of evaluation in the reform of the mental health system in Washington. The reform process is described from its inception through its design to the dissemination and utilization of evaluation results. The final article considers implications for statewide evaluations. (SLD)

Background: As patterns of morbidity and mortality are changing, more people with intellectual disabilities develop cancer or other life-limiting illness. This paper reviews the literature around the need of people with intellectual disabilities for palliative care. Methods: A range of databases and the World Wide Web were searched for relevant…

Evaluated the Homeless Families Program implemented in nine cities to create systems change by restructuring systems of health and support services and housing and to develop and test a model of services-enriched housing for homeless families. Considers the evaluation as a case study of evaluation approaches and results presentation. (SLD)

Advantages and disadvantages to various methods of assuring quality and accountability in community mental health centers are discussed. Examples are external structure review, peer monitoring, and site visitation. (LAB)

The impact of a newly instituted prime vendor (wholesaler) pharmaceutical system at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals was studied at 33 VA centers and 32 matched comparison hospitals. Results indicate satisfaction with the new system and illustrate the solutions to some interesting evaluation problems. (SLD)

Suggests that many aspects of quality assurance in health care can be applied to social service agencies. Reviews what has been learned about quality assurance in health care and suggests guidelines for its implementation in social services. (Author/JAC)

Discusses the methodology and content of the evaluation of the Homeless Families Program. Focuses on data collection and the determination of program outcomes. Stresses the importance of stakeholder involvement and the flexibility of the evaluators as the evaluation unfolded. (SLD)

A model for assessing the needs of the rural elderly based on the goal of empowerment is described and evaluated through a case study in Pennsylvania. Overall, the 63 community workers positively evaluated the needs assessment data derived through the model. Ways to enhance the model are discussed. (SLD)