Overview
The purpose of this section is to:
- Provide a framework for consideration when developing an evaluation plan for father engagement and/or father involvement
- Provide suggestions on how to extract or export data about father engagement and father involvement so that counties can track how well they're doing in these areas
- Assist counties in knowing that reports can be run using Business Objects to get results for their father engagement/father involvement efforts
The target audience includes directors, managers, analysts, evaluators and other stakeholders with the responsibility of increasing father engagement and/or father involvement.
The following information will provide instructions on how to:
- Think about conceptualizing questions you or your agency has about father engagement and father involvement
- Create a logic model that can be used as a guide for planning father engagement and father involvement efforts
- Collect and analyze data for the questions you have about father engagement and father involvement
- Discuss methods for recording and analyzing information about fathers and their families
This section does NOT give instructions for conducting evaluation in the traditional sense; rather it is a systematic way to track father engagement and father involvement. This section will:
- Help users develop (research) questions about father engagement and father involvement that might be relevant to their organizational practice
- Present a replica for the development of a logic model that can be used for program planning purposes
- Give some examples of where to obtain data from the following data systems:
- CWS/CMS
- Safe Measures
- CSSR
- Give some suggestions for how to collect data and how to store it for analysis
- Give some recommendations for how to analyze data for child welfare purposes
Father Engagement and Father Involvement Evaluation Guide
View or download a PDF version of the guide.
Table of Contents
Click on each topic area below for detailed information. A brief description of what each topic area contains is provided for your review.
Definitions of Father Involvement and Father Engagement
This section provides two definitions of terms that have been used interchangeably. However, they are defined differently in this guide. The definitions provided are offered as suggestions only. Others may want to define the terms differently for their purposes.
Step 1
Identify questions about father engagement and father involvement
Sometimes identifying questions can be the most difficult part of starting an evaluation. This section provides a list of questions that counties/organizations may be interested in pursuing. It is not an exhaustive list.
Step 2
Develop a logic model for planning purposes
This section defines what a logic model is, gives examples of what it looks like and provides links to resources on how to create one. The sections, below, are typical components of a logic model.
Resources
Defines this term and gives some examples of different kinds of resources.
Program Activities
Defines this term means and gives some examples of different kinds of activities that agencies/organizations might pursue.
Recruitment and Outreach
Gives examples of the types of activities agencies/organizations could implement as a part of the father engagement and/or father involvement activities.
Training Curriculum
Gives examples of the types of activities agencies/organizations could implement as a part of the father engagement and/or father involvement activities.
Practice Model and Policy
Gives examples of the types of activities agencies/organizations could implement as a part of the father engagement and/or father involvement activities.
Evaluation
Gives examples of the types of activities agencies/organizations could implement as a part of the father engagement and/or father involvement activities.
Outputs
Defines this term and gives some examples of what can be considered outputs.
Outcomes
Defines this term and gives some examples of what can be considered outcomes.
Impact
Defines this term and gives examples of short-term, medium-range and long-term outcomes and their impact.
Short-Term Outcomes
Gives examples of what agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently in their practice to affect change in 1 year or less.
- Locating Fathers
Gives examples of outcomes that agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently to impact their practice related to locating fathers. - Father Engagement and Father Involvement
Gives examples of outcomes that agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently to impact their practice related to father engagement and father involvement. - Training
Gives examples of outcomes that agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently to impact their practice related to training.
Mid-Term Outcomes
Gives examples of what agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently in their practice to effect change between 1 and 5 years.
- Family Permanency
Gives examples of outcomes that agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently to impact their practice related to permanency. - Re-Entry
Gives examples of outcomes that agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently to impact their practice related to entering the child welfare system. - Placement Moves
Gives examples of outcomes that agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently to impact their practice related to minimizing the frequent movement on children in the child welfare system. - Father Involvement
Gives examples of outcomes that agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently to impact their practice related to father involvement.
Long-Term Outcomes
Gives examples of what agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently in their practice to effect change between 5 and 10 or more years.
- Few Children in Foster Care
Gives examples of outcomes that agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently to impact their practice related to minimizing the number of children in foster care. - Decreases in Length of Stay
Gives examples of outcomes that agencies/organizations can do more of, less of or differently to impact their practice related to how long children stay in foster care.
Step 3
Identify the necessary data systems
This section suggests databases where agencies/organizations can obtain their data.
Step 4
Collect and store the data that is collected using administrative databases
This section highlights the three child welfare-related databases that can be used to collect data.
Data that is not collected using administrative databases
This section offers other suggestions for collecting data, for example, surveys, direct observations, interviews, etc.
Timeframe for Collecting Data
Baseline data, point-in-time data and specific time periods are explained.
Data Collection Resources
This section offers suggestions for collecting data other than from a first-person perspective. Other people, things and entities are provided as prospective data gathering resources.
Step 5
Analyze and interpret the data physical case file review
Explains how one might go about reviewing a physical case.
Direct observation
Explains how one might go about observing others and provides a list of things that an observer may be looking for if he/she is watching what happens between a father and child.
Synthesizing information collected in an interview
Talks about the benefits and challenges of conducting interviews.
Synthesizing information collected in a focus group
Talks about the different ways in which information can be collected in a focus group.
Examine results from the administration of surveys
A brief description and examples of quantitative vs. qualitative data are provided.
Set up analyses in Excel
This section provides an example of how someone can create an Excel file to store data for later analysis.
Extract data directly from CWS/CMS, Safe Measures or CSSR
This section provides suggestions on how one might go about extracting data from the various child welfare-related databases.
Run queries in Business Objects
Business Objects (BO) is a reporting system that allows users to find the answers to questions by querying the CWS/CMS data system. The results are presented in text form and may need additional synthesizing. This section provides more details about BO and how one might use it.