Enhancing service evaluability: Lessons from a programme for disaffected young people

Abstract

The effectiveness of children's services is often limited by a series of problems that also impede meaningful evaluation. This article describes and assesses research strategies to enhance the evaluability of a programme for disaffected young people, arguing that they have the potential to improve services more widely. It explores methods for developing a logic model, setting target group criteria, tightening programme components, identifying sufficient suitable candidates and selecting appropriate measures. Examples of other preparatory work aimed at helping the evaluation are given, including firming-up the programme and evaluation ethics and dealing with the politics of a fairly complex evaluation (a randomised controlled trial) that involves numerous stakeholders. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.