hsm/270 Revised Evaluation Plan

The purpose of the PEACE Domestic Violence Agency is to promote a sense of security, support, and empowerment for individuals and families who are affected by domestic violence. To continue helping those who suffer from domestic abuse, the PEACE agency will develop an evaluation plan using a simple framework design. This agency wants to assess the work it is performing, and the reason for evaluation is it wants to know the effects its services have on people’s lives. The program wants to improve upon those efforts, but does not want to continue to exert time and resources into efforts which are not helpful.

The evaluation plan the PEACE Domestic Violence Agency will use will be a project-wide evaluation using the empowerment approach. This form of evaluation plan will work perfectly with the agency’s domestic violence program because it concentrates on the purpose of the program and provides structure for the big picture. In addition, it involves program staff in the evaluation development and implementation, which enables them to feel empowered. The first step in developing this type of plan is to “identify the answer to the big question” (Yuen & Terao, 2003, p.53) which, in the case of the PEACE agency, is whether or not the incidents of domestic violence can be reduced and how. Another question could be whether or not educating people about domestic violence can play a key role in preventing it. This evaluation plan will include both process and outcome evaluation by attaining the documentation of accomplishments made, and gathering the information from a wide variety of sources to allow the agency to indicate “what benefits were achieved as a result of the services provided” (Yuen & Terao, 2003, p.53).

Process evaluation will be assessed to provide qualitative and quantitative information on the services delivered and whether or not they are effective, in addition to describing the PEACE agency’s program interventions and implementation. It will also allow the agency to document information on administration and staff activity, organizational support, and the progress of the project. In addition, process evaluation will also make clear the problems to be addressed and their risk factors. Because the PEACE agency is interested in knowing more about the success of its efforts as well as providing evidence to present to funders, an outcome evaluation will also be done by assessing the goals of the agency, and will hopefully reflect measurable changes because of the agency’s efforts.

The accomplishments of the program will be collected and documented by program staff, clients, and law enforcement personnel, which will include the descriptions of the different types of interventions and how often the services were used. This information will be documented through the use of activity logs, tally forms, and attendance sheets, in addition to surveys and interviews, which will provide feedback and assessment regarding the program. For the PEACE agency, program staff will be responsible for using the tally forms, activity logs, and attendance sheets; however, law enforcement personnel and clients will be given surveys and questionnaires, in addition to interviews, to gain a better perspective of whether or not the services are doing what they are intending to do. This will also give the agency an idea of the thoughts and feeling about its services through the clients’ eyes. When all of the data is collected and analyzed, it will be the project manager’s responsibility to report the results quarterly.

Evaluation is an essential tool for the PEACE agency to use to validate its accountability, enhance its operation, expand its ability to obtain future funding, and fulfill objectives. Project evaluation using the empowerment approach will help program staff to understand the progress, success, and effectiveness of the program in which they serve by assessing the clients’ observation of the program activities, identifying the program’s long-term impact, and monitoring the activities to validate the program’s accomplishments. An effective project evaluation plan will summarize the program’s purpose and will ensure the PEACE Domestic Violence Agency can continue to fulfill its mission in reducing the incidents of domestic violence and help to promote recovery through education and awareness.

Reference

Yuen, F., & Terao, K. (2003). Practical Grant Writing & Program Evaluation. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole-Thomson Learning Scenario Evaluation Plan

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