The opportunities and challenges of multi-site evaluations: Lessons from the jail diversion and trauma recovery national cross-site evaluation |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Department of Social Work, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden;2. DM-STAT, One Salem Street Suite 300, Malden, MA 02148 USA;3. Center for Addictions Research and Services, Boston University School of Social Work, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215 USA;4. Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118 USA;1. European Centre for Living Technology, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, S. Marco 2940, 30124 Venice, Italy;2. Department of Innovation and Economic Organization, BI Norwegian Business School, Nydalsveien 37, N-0442 Oslo, Norway;1. Faculty of Economics and Management, National University of Malaysia, UKM Bangi, 43600 Selangor, Malaysia;2. Department of Strategic Management and Globalization, Copenhagen Business School, Kilevej 14, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark;3. Syntek Corporation, 4.669 Evaluation and Planning, 2279 Mershon Drive, Ann Arbor, 48103 MI, United States;1. Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YW, United Kingdom;2. Family and Community Social Services Program, University of Guelph-Humber, 207 Humber College Blvd., Toronto, ON, M9W 5L7, Canada |
| |
Abstract: | Multi-site evaluations, particularly of federally funded service programs, pose a special set of challenges for program evaluation. Not only are there contextual differences related to project location, there are often relatively few programmatic requirements, which results in variations in program models, target populations and services. The Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery–Priority to Veterans (JDTR) National Cross-Site Evaluation was tasked with conducting a multi-site evaluation of thirteen grantee programs that varied along multiple domains. This article describes the use of a mixed methods evaluation design to understand the jail diversion programs and client outcomes for veterans with trauma, mental health and/or substance use problems. We discuss the challenges encountered in evaluating diverse programs, the benefits of the evaluation in the face of these challenges, and offer lessons learned for other evaluators undertaking this type of evaluation. |
| |
Keywords: | Multi-site evaluations Multi-method evaluations Federal grants Jail diversion Veterans |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|