The term "outcome evaluation" has become one of the most popular terms among human service providers and those whose job it is to evaluate the impact of human service programs. In the public sector alone, there are over a hundred instruments in use to evaluate the impact of state human service programs. Most states, many providers, and…

Adults with developmental disabilities are at significant risk for health problems. Effective health promotion can improve outcomes--and that's why adult day and residential agencies, schools, and other organizations need this invaluable program development guide. An urgent call to action and a start-to-finish framework for health promotion, this…

This report presents an assessment of Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (DHEW) services delivery to American Samoans residing in California, Hawaii, and American Samoa. The evaluation includes analyses of human services needs, resources, and delivery. The effectiveness of human services delivery was assessed using interviews with Samoan…

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…

Needs assessment, program design, and evaluation are presented in a series of 12 papers for trainers, educators, and practitioners interested in training for human service practice. Needs assessment is discussed in terms of direct interpersonal approaches; indirect interpersonal approaches; and social indicator approaches. Weaknesses of needs…

The administrator of a recreational program needs to constantly evaluate that program to be sure it is accomplishing the objectives for which it is established; while objective and subjective evaluation on the part of leaders and participants are valuable, factual computerized data are also a reliable tool. (JD)

Identifies the special characteristics needed by hospices caring for terminally ill children, based on a feasibility study for a pediatric hospital. Concludes that the needs of terminally ill children and their families are not being met currently and that the hospice is as appropriate for children as for adults. (Author)

Three specific ways in which counseling and human development professionals can use the computer as a tool in program development, management, and evaluation are presented. Software developed to assist with needs assessment, databased management, and program evaluation is described. (Author/ABB)

This study surveyed how respite care services functioned for Swedish families who have children with disabilities and compared the results with a previous study made 6 years earlier. The study was based on a questionnaire completed by 245 of Sweden's municipalities. The study examined the quantity and quality of the services and respondents' views…

This paper describes a needs assessment instrument that is intended to effectively communicate recommended practice ideas for serving children with disabilities to teachers, families, and service delivery personnel. The instrument is in the form of a quality indicators checklist and utilizes 143 statements of recommended practice. The inclusion of…

Current approaches to need assessment belong to one of three theoretical orientations: the rationalistic perspective in which need is predicated on the existence of some pathology or deviance from the rational ideal; (2) the empirical position where need is conceived as deviance from a normative or observed state of good health and well-being; and…

This guide is concerned with productivity measurement and improvement in mental health centers, and focuses on the relationship between service outputs and available clinical staff, i.e., staff productivity. Staff productivity measures are described as useful in identifying existing levels of productivity, making comparisons to determine the…

Two surveys were developed in an effort to evolve a model process for setting up a displaced homemaker center, for determining how displaced homemakers are presently being served within a VTAE (Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education) district, and for identifying and then assessing the needs of a sample of displaced homemakers. The surveys…

Evaluation research, if appropriately matched to a human service program's stage of development, can help inform the decision making at each step. The developmental stages of a program, questions to be answered at each stage, and kinds of research activities pertinent to such questions are discussed. (TJH)

This document was designed for use by persons or agencies interested in both establishing and evaluating employee assistance programs (EAP) for federal employees. It contains essential elements, standards, and assessment criteria which have been developed to assist in the planning and implementation of services, and to provide a framework for…