Brief Description of the Program
The Parent-Teacher-Youth Mediation Program is designed to build relationships between family members from different generations. It is important to note that the program has been functioning for 4 years and works on scientific principles. The implementation consists in the selection of 250 clients who need external assistance and are referred either on their own initiative or by a social worker. Accordingly, the main goal of the program is the visible improvement of interaction and communication between family members, which leads to the resolution of current disputes and problems. The program has several stages, the first is a consultation with a social worker, followed by therapy and work for 9 weeks. Another important goal is to have a positive impact on the behavior of children on the school grounds and effective changes in interaction with teachers.
Target Beneficiaries of the Program
The main beneficiaries of the program are primarily adolescents who can be interpreted as problematic. This means that such clients have pronounced problems with socialization, consisting in both aggression and isolation. However, their parents are another group, since it is often possible to establish a relationship between the behavior of the individual and the situation in the family (Giancola, 2020). In addition, the social worker identifies potential clients by receiving and handling complaints from teachers or parents, and when the child or family visits on their own initiative. The program performs the function of social and psychological assistance and support, but not medical.
Evaluation Type
To analyze the effectiveness of the program, an impact evaluation will be used to help identify both methodological weaknesses and overall performance. This type of evaluation will help to focus on the significance of the social consequences of the introduction and implementation of the program, as well as answer the question of the correctness of its use (Morrison & Harms, 2018). At the same time, thanks to such a tool, it will be possible to establish the reasons for not achieving the planned results and note the advantages and most promising opportunities of the analyzed program. The information received will be compiled, interpreted and used to reform and improve all mechanisms of social assistance to adolescents and their families. The evaluation will be carried out based on the internal needs of the program implementation, with the nature of the external evaluation.
Current Assessment Issues
In addition to the question of the correctness of the implementation of the program, the evaluation of the impact of the program will be able to touch on several other important aspects. Thus, such a method will make it possible to analyze the level of demand for the project in society, in particular, among the target individuals (Morrison & Harms, 2018). In addition, the analysis of the final results will help to correctly interpret the root causes of social problems in order to form a mechanism for their elimination (McDavid et al., 2018). Based on the foregoing, the evaluation of the impact of the program is able to perform several direct and indirect tasks at once, which determines its effectiveness.
Types of Data, Primary and secondary
In order to be able to evaluate the program in question, specialists must regularly collect data that serve as information for analysis. It should be emphasized that all data must be divided into two groups, namely primary and secondary. The primary groups include such information as observed changes, the response of the child and his parents, the individual’s reaction to the assistance provided or provided (Morrison & Harms, 2018). Separately, it is worth highlighting the feedback of all stakeholders on changing behavior after a certain period of time (McDavid et al., 2018). This information is the most important for evaluation, since it is such a criterion that illustrates the degree of effectiveness and implementation of the program. Secondary data should include individual information such as gender, age, race, family situation and the root cause of problem situations (McDavid et al., 2018). Despite the fact that the last criterion can be interpreted as one of the most important, it is not, because this information does not affect the understanding of the effectiveness of the program. In other words, secondary data should include everything that plays a role in the provision of psychological and social assistance, but is insignificant for assessing the final effectiveness of the program.
Who Is the Data From
Most of the above data must be obtained personally from the adolescent targeted by the program. The fact is that parents or teachers can often convey distorted information, because they are either under the impression, or the child does not trust them. In addition, the honesty and openness of a specialist with a teenager significantly increases the effectiveness of the entire project (McDavid et al., 2018). This data is collected with the help of a social worker, who then passes it on to professionals. Parents and teachers provide their feedback and observations from outside, which must be recorded verbatim and received in the absence of the child in order to avoid pressure or disappointment of the individual in himself (McDavid et al., 2018). It should be noted that both a social worker and a specialist implementing the program can receive a parent’s review. Feedback from teachers is received exclusively by the social worker, as this is a process within the school. In other words, teachers should not be aware that a child is in a program as long as the information is confidential.
Participant Selection
Participants are selected according to a few but effective criteria for the child’s behavior at school or at home. If a family, on its own initiative, turns to a social worker, then a consultation is held, during which the specialist not only collects complaints, but also analyzes their nature, and also communicates with the child (McDavid et al., 2018). If it is determined that the problems are psychological in nature and can be resolved with the help of the program, such a teenager can be enrolled in the participants. In another situation, when teachers complain about a specific individual, a conversation is held with the child without the presence of parents (Gibbs, 2018). During this process, the specialist faces same goals, the inclusion of a child in the program occurs only with the consent and knowledge of his relatives. In any case, the most important criteria for selecting participants are the presence of social problems in behavior and interaction with adults, a difficult situation in the family, and the psychological or social nature of such problems.
Data Collection Frequency
It should be noted that the frequency of data collection should be 9 weeks. This is explained by the fact that the interpretation and analysis of the results of the program is possible only after its completion. In addition, data collection must be carried out permanently in order not only to objectively evaluate, but also to identify both negative and positive trends in a timely manner (Morrison & Harms, 2018). However, it was mentioned above that feedback from teachers should be accepted and processed after a certain amount of time. The most flexible and convenient period will be a month from the end of the program to the survey of teachers (Linfield & Posavac, 2018). Thus, the results are collected one month and nine weeks, it is after such a period that they are considered complete (Linfield & Posavac, 2018). It is also worth noting that the social worker and other professionals may collect information during the implementation of the program, however, such data should be analyzed as current results, not final ones.
Correlation of Evaluation System and Topical Issues
All of the above system of data collection and evaluation effectively correlates with relevant questions, since all methods are focused on their answers. Thus, the collection of information about adolescents and their families, as well as their agreement to participate in the program, provides sufficient results to analyze the demand for the program among the target groups (Linfield & Posavac, 2018). Feedback from parents and teachers can serve as a source of knowledge about the effectiveness of the project, which is a key goal of the entire methodology (Morrison & Harms, 2018). Finally, communication with the child and his perception of both the specialists and the program as a whole are able to assess the social significance of the project for the target groups and society (Giancola, 2020). In addition, one-on-one communication with both the individual and his family and the subsequent establishment of the root causes of problem situations are the foundation for finding and creating a mechanism to eliminate the source.
Ethical Considerations and Data Collection Limitations
The collection of data should be subject to a number of restrictions that are dictated by ethical norms and principles. Thus, both the collection and use of any data that citizens refuse to give or disclose should be prohibited, in order to protect the rights of customers. In addition, the collection of feedback and information should be voluntary, but not coercive or intrusive. In other words, customers need to be informed that professionals need data from them (Morrison & Harms, 2018). The social worker and professionals will not allow pressure or irritation from both families and adolescents in particular. Finally, the fact that a child is in a program can be discrediting to their friends and peers (Linfield & Posavac, 2018). Based on this risk, it must be emphasized that all information is strictly confidential, and does not even apply to teachers in the school. In addition, it is necessary to introduce a system of pseudonyms and anonymity when collecting any data.
Use of Results at the Practice Level and at the Program Level
It is necessary to analyze how exactly the results obtained by specialists about the program should be used. First of all, they need to be compiled into a single database, to which both the social worker and the specialists interacting with the program should have access. It is necessary to enter already interpreted and analyzed data into this database, however, reviews are considered verbatim (Linfield & Posavac, 2018). At the practice level, the social worker is required to use the data solely for the purpose of monitoring and processing the adolescent. At the level of the program, such information is used as a vector for the development of the entire project, indicating shortcomings and emerging problems.
To Whom the Data Is Provided
As noted above, data is provided exclusively to persons assigned to the program. Teachers, the family and the child in particular are not involved in the editing or reformation of the program, but only leave their feedback (Giancola, 2020). Accordingly, all data entered into the database is distributed exclusively among specialists who develop a further plan to update the project. Parents and the child should be informed that the program has been successfully completed and given further guidance on dealing with problem behavior.
References
Giancola, S. P. (2020). Program evaluation. Embedding evaluation into program design and development. SAGE Publications.
Gibbs, G. R. (2018). Analyzing qualitative data. SAGE Publications.
Linfield, K. J. & Posavac, E. J. (2018). Program evaluation. Methods and case studies. Taylor & Francis.
McDavid, J. C., Huse, I. & Hawthorn, L. R. L. (2018). Program evaluation and performance measurement. An introduction to practice. SAGE Publications.
Morrison, J. Q. & Harms, A. L. (2018). Advancing evidence-based practice through program evaluation. A practical guide for school-based professionals. Oxford University Press.