engagement

Program Evaluation Services

The Center for Child and Family Policy brings together scholars from many disciplines, policy makers and practitioners to address problems facing children in contemporary society. In the Program Evaluation arm of the Center, we draw on the expertise of more than 80 highly trained researchers and staff to identify, implement, and evaluate programs that can positively affect the lives of children and families.  Where necessary, the world-class faculty of Duke University are available to assist in the Center’s program evaluation activities.

Since its inception in 1999, the Center has completed a diverse range of program evaluation efforts including evaluations of large randomized trials, longitudinal descriptive studies that have tracked children’s development over time, and web-based survey studies. This work has been supported by - and undertaken for - a wide range of clients and organizations, including federal granting agencies, state government agencies, public school systems, and community organizations. Through these projects, Center staff have acquired extensive experience in evaluation research relevant to children and families including:

  1. developing and implementing evidence-based interventions;
  2. consenting large samples of youth and parents;
  3. tracking participants longitudinally so that change over time can be assessed;
  4. working closely with state and local agencies that serve children and families;
  5. conducting focus groups and other qualitative evaluation research strategies;
  6. developing Web-based data collection systems;
  7. developing surveys and other measurement instruments, and,
  8. managing and analyzing large and complex data sets.

The Center has also developed significant capacity for translating research results in ways that clearly inform policy makers about evidence-based programs for children and families. 

This combination of experience and expertise represents a unique strength of the Center and enables it to work effectively with organizations across a wide range of program evaluation activities, including:

  • Help in identifying potential funding sources
  • Grant writing
  • Help in identifying model programs and promising practices
  • Training in program implementation strategies and data collection methods
  • Developing monitoring systems to measure program performance
  • Strategic consultation on evidence-based program development and supervision
  • Evaluation of services to document program effectiveness
  • Data analysis, report writing, and presentation development

In all these activities, our goal is to provide clients with solutions to their program evaluation needs that combine rigorous scientific methodology with a practical approach for getting work done in community settings.  Please feel free to call on us to discuss program evaluation needs that your organization is looking to meet.

Organizations we have worked with include:

  • Alamance County Department of Social Services
  • Durham County Government
  • Durham Public Schools
  • National Child Traumatic Stress Network
  • National Institutes of Health
  • NC Department of Health and Human Services
  • NC Department of Public Instruction
  • Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina
  • Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
  • Duke Endowment
  • Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc.

When to Call Us:

The Center for Child and Family Policy is available to assist your organization at any stage of program development – from planning to evaluating an existing program. Often, the earlier we become involved, the greater assistance we can provide. Some of the Center’s most successful collaborations have been those where we began working with community partners at the beginning of their program’s development and were able to assist in developing a successful funding application.

Evaluation Reports: