The focus of this report is on mental health interventions delivered in K-12 neighborhood public schools. A vast array of commercially available programs, conceptual frameworks, and approaches to school-based mental health are not unanimously recommended, applied, or agreed upon. This poses a challenge to any comprehensive description or…

This study tested an integrated package for high-quality school mental health (SMH) services involving quality assessment and improvement, family engagement and empowerment, modular evidence-based practice, and implementation support. Within a two-year randomized controlled trial, 35 clinicians, who provided services to 529 students and their…

Many evaluations of programs tend to show few outcomes. One solution to this has been an increasing prominence of the movement that requires programs to implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs). But in a complex world with complex organizations and complex interventions, many challenges have arisen to the implementation of EBIs with fidelity…

Nearly all private, government and non-governmental organizations that receive government funding to run social or health promotion programs in the United States are required to conduct program evaluations and to report findings to the funding agency. Reports are usually due at the end of a funding cycle and they may or may not have an influence…

Background: Although models such as the coordinated school health program (CSHP) are widely available to address student health needs, school professionals have been unconvinced that scarce resources should be allocated to improving student health. Concern that attention may be diverted from meeting academic accountability goals is often seen as a…

Where mental health administrators used to rely on subjective judgments of senior clinicians to evaluate the effectiveness of mental health services, they now rely more on a quality assurance (QA) plan. The primary motive for undertaking a QA program should be better service. QA may start out being very expensive in terms of personnel and…

Oversight is defined in a broad manner, encompassing a wide variety of mechanisms within the mental health field. Implications for mental health practice brought out by these descriptions of mechanisms are discussed to illustrate the utility of them in better understanding oversight practices. (Author/LMO)

The authors present the argument that evaluation as currently practiced is failing the needs of the social sector, if the goal is to help organizations achieve their mission. Three case studies are presented in which evaluation played a key role in the development of a learning culture within the organization. Each case highlights the positive…

Premature application of quantitative indicators formerly used for individual assessment and research to bureaucratic decision making can produce side effects that are dysfunctional in nature. In order to illustrate this phenomenon, the author reviews a general literature and utilizes examples form mental health care. (Author/BW)

Discussed the State of Colorado's introduction of performance contracting into its relationships with community mental health centers. Describes the nature of the contract and its implementation. Particular emphasis is placed on the implications of the contract for program evaluation. (Author)

Reports the implementation of a quality assurance program in Colorado mental health facilities, designed to help managers know how they were doing on operational issues. The program was simple, low cost, and easy to implement. All levels of management found it a useful tool. (Author/WAS)

Quality improvement (QI) activities, designed to enhance program evaluation efforts and to improve quality of care, have become increasingly important in children's services research. QI activities examine outcomes and provide accountability data that can be very useful for telling the story of the development, implementation, and effectiveness of…

This report describes the implementation and first 6 months of data collection of the required performance outcome measures for children receiving mental health services in Florida, as required under Florida's 1994 Government Performance and Accountability Act. This summary is of data received from August 1996 to January 1997 and includes data for…

This paper summarizes results of telephone interviews with key personnel at 19 (out of 22) agencies receiving grants under the Center for Mental Health Services program, one part of a 5-year evaluation study examining the impact that utilizing measurable outcomes has on service systems. This component focused on the conceptualization and…

In addition to reporting on the technology of needs assessment and evaluation, these guidelines examine the context in which certain technologies should be employed, the opportunities/limitations of different methodologies, and the rationale for assessing needs and evaluating. The guidelines, intended for personnel at various levels and different…