Personnel
Nancy Koroloff, Ph.D., Co-principal Investigator
Pauline Jivanjee, Ph.D., Co-principal Investigator
Adjoa Robinson, M.S.W., Research Assistant
Kathryn Schutte, M.S., Project Manager
Project Description and Purpose
This project has three purposes: 1) to collaborate with the National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health to train family members to participate in and lead evaluation projects, 2) to train evaluators to work with family members on evaluations and 3) to assess the effectiveness of both curricula. This project is primarily intended to develop and provide training to family members and evaluators.
Project Goals
Goal I: To collaborate with the National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health to train family members to participate in and lead evaluation projects.
Objective 1: To assist the National Federation of Families to develop and pilot the Course I Curriculum--How to Understand Evaluation.
Objective 2: To assist the National Federation of Families to develop and pilot the Course II Curriculum--How to Work in Evaluation.
Objective 3: To develop and pilot, in collaboration with the National Federation of Families, a Course III Curriculum---How to Lead Evaluation.
Goal II: To train evaluators to work with family members on evaluations
Objective1: Create a curriculum for evaluators focused on how to conduct family-friendly evaluations and how to collaborate with family members on evaluation.
Objective 2: Create certification processes for evaluators as mechanism for identifying family friendly evaluation resources.
Objective 3: Disseminate practice and results of new evaluation model via presentations by teams of researchers and family members.
Objective 4: Create a monograph on the training of family-friendly evaluators.
Goal III: To assess the effectiveness of the curricula.
Objective 1: To conduct follow-up evaluation of the effectiveness of Course I and Course II curriculum.
Objective 2: To conduct an assessment of the impact of families on evaluation teams.
Objective 3: To evaluate the curriculum for evaluators focused on changes in knowledge and attitudes.
Objective 4: Conduct case studies on the ways in which the family/evaluator collaboration changes how evaluation is conducted and results communicated.
Latest Updates
Course I Evaluation:
In May 2003, the project team published a report, "Families in the world of evaluation: The evaluation of the national Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health Course I, 'How to Understand Evaluation.'" Family members who participated in the training reported that they increased their knowledge and understanding of evaluation. Further, they reported that they gained confidence in using evaluation for advocacy. The report also includes a description of the collaborative process of data analysis with family members who participated in the training. This report can be accessed on the RTC Publications page, www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php.It is cited as: Schutte, K., Jivanjee, P., Robinson, A. & Koroloff, N. (2003). Families in the world of evaluation: The evaluation of the national Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health Course I, "How to Understand Evaluation." Portland, OR: Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health, Portland State University.
Evaluator and Family Evaluator Study:
Part two of this study is an evaluator and family evaluator study conducted for the purpose of identifying strategies that promote collaborative relationships in evaluation teams. Twenty evaluators who have worked with family members on evaluation teams at system of care grant communities and ten family evaluators were identified and interviewed. Project staff have analyzed data from these interviews and presented some of the major findings at several national conferences. Links to these presentations can be found below. Findings from the interviews are being used to guide the development of training materials for evaluators and family members working on evaluations.
Development of Training Materials for Evaluators:
Currently, the project team is focused on developing training materials for evaluators to work in partnership with family members. We have developed a 10-module training curriculum on Family-Evaluator Collaboration. The training modules address topics related to participatory and collaborative approaches to evaluation, engaging families in evaluation, teamwork and communication in collaborative evaluation, power dynamics and empowerment in evaluation, negotiation and decision making, staff support and supervision in evaluation, ethics and quality in collaborative evaluation, and leadership in collaborative evaluation. Under a sub-contract with ORC Macro International, the project team is preparing to pilot test the training with selected System of Care evaluation teams. Based on feedback on the training, the curriculum will be revised and then published and made available to be downloaded.
Family-Evaluation Resources:
Project staff have put together resources to assist evaluators and family members who are working colleaboratively on evaluations. The first is a web-based resource list entitled “Web-based resource list for evaluators and family evaluators.” This resource list offers useful information and internet links about evaluation. The list is divided into several categories and includes websites offering glossaries, guides to conducting evaluations, instrument and measurements, and issues related specifically to children and families and participatory evaluation. This resource list can be accessed on the RTC Publications page, www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php. It is cited as: Schutte, K., Jivanjee, P., & Robinson, A. (2003). Web-based resource list for evaluators and family evaluators. Portland, OR: Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health, Portland State University.
The second resource is an annotated bibliography listing articles related to family participation in research and evaluation and general references about community/consumer participation in research and evaluation. Brief paragraphs summarizing the content of the articles are provided. This annotated bibliography can be accessed on the RTC Publications page, www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php. It is cited as: Jivanjee, P., Schutte, K., & Robinson, A. (2003). Families as Evaluators: Annotated bibliography of resources in print. Portland, OR: Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health, Portland State University.
Project Presentations:
Pauline Jivanjee presented "Family Involvement in Evaluation: Evaluator Perspectives" at the 16th Annual Conference, A system of care for children's mental health: Expanding the research base, in Tampa Florida, March 3, 2003. (Follow the link below, "Presentation at 2003 Florida RTC conference, Florida" to view slides from the presentation.)
Pauline Jivanjee presented a workshop on “Family-Evaluator Collaboration to Improve Children’s Mental Health” at the American Evaluation Association's (AEA) annual conference in Reno, Nevada on November 7, 2003. She presented with Michael Pullmann and Leanne Guthrie who work on the Clark County System of Care evaluation. (Follow the link below, "Presentation at the 2003 AEA conference, Reno, Nevada" to view slides from the presentation.)
Pauline Jivanjee and Kathryn Schutte joined Elaine Slaton and Shannon CrossBear of the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health to present a workshop entitled "No Evaluation Without Collaboration" at the 11th Annual Building on Family Strengths Conference in Portland, Oregon, May 7, 2003. (Follow the link below, "Presentation at the 2004 BFS conference, Portland" to view slides from the presentation.)
Pauline Jivanjee was invited to present at the Family Support America Conference which took place in Chicago, Illinois. She presented a presentation entitled "Families Finding Their Voices: Family- Evaluator Partnerships to Improve Services" with Michael Pullmann and Paula Savage who work on the Clark County System of Care evaluation. (Follow the link below, "Presentation at the 2004 FSA conference, Chicago" to view slides from the presentation.)
Pauline Jivanjee presented a workshop along with Elaine Slaton and Shannon CrossBear of the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health. They presetented the workshop, entitled "A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Data Analysis and Interpretation", at the National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health, Georgetown University, 2004 Training Institutes conference, Developing Local Systems of Care for Children and Adolescents with Emotional Disturbances and their Families in San Francisco on June 27, 2004.
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