What Works? Integrating Multiple Data Sources and Policy Research Methods in Assessing Need and Evaluating Outcomes in Community-Based Child and Family Service Systems
Abstract
This research examines the roles policy analysts and policy research may play in improving the effectiveness of systems of care serving at-risk children and their families. This work presents four separate analyses which use a variety of quantitative and qualitative analytic methods, and examines how they can be integrated to improve service design and outcomes evaluations in community-based child and family social service systems. In presenting results from these analyses, this dissertation seeks to explicitly examine the roles rigorous policy research can play in such contexts, the limitations and challenges of applying these new analytic techniques in public social service settings, and seeks to offer suggestions for areas policy researchers, systems managers, political leaders, clients, and community members might focus future work in this field. Community-based service models are gaining increasing attention as dissatisfaction grows with traditional hierarchical organizational structures used in many public social service agencies Kamerman and Kahn, 1990; Schorr, 1997. These reforms involve many separate strategies, including assigning staff at the neighborhood level, devolving decision- making authority to local actors, allocating resources to specific communities, and turning over operational responsibilities to non-governmental, community-based organizations. This shift in service approach places a variety of demands on these organizations, not the least of which is to develop and use data sources and methodologies that can allow decentralized operations to fairly and effectively serve vulnerable, multi-challenged children and families.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA405696
Entities
People
- Elan Melamid
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School