Management of Human Services Programs

University of Phoenix

This paper is in reference to case study 10. This paper will develop one process evaluation measure and one outcome evaluation measure to display the Greenby Community Mental Health Center’s effectiveness and efficiency. This paper will also discuss the scope and purpose of the process evaluation measure and outcome evaluation measure and how they influence the design.
The Greenby Community Mental Health Center process evaluation measure suggests the consultation and education department needs to implement the address of the real questionable issue within the organization, and to evaluate the programs being offered through the organization. The questionable issue at the center involves the discontinuance of the consultation and education departments. We understand the organization is facing an issue in regard to required service programs. We also understand the community mental health center has suggested as long as there is a director available the proposed suggestion will work, but doing so will take away workshops that have been instrumental to the program consumers. The implemented design includes dedicating a percentage of each professionals work towards Consultation and Education (Lewis, p. 242).
A process evaluation is aimed at enhancing a current program by means of a formative analysis. It can be done anytime to describe and study the conceptualization, planning and implementation of a particular program. A key note about a process evaluation is that it isn't aimed at measuring the success or failure of a program its focus is the process and not the outcome. Its aim is to see whether a program has been implemented as planned, using feedback to adjust and enhance interventions. It has a great impact on the on-going development of a program by revealing its strength & weaknesses.

The case of the Greenby Community Mental Health Center's Consultation and Education Department somewhat suggests that while it is not a key income earner, it drives awareness and thus increases participation into revenue-making programs. The problem that the Center's Executive Director has is that even with the obvious service and awareness-raising effort the program has, because the revenue numbers; he cannot justify the program to the Board of directors to protect it from funding cut. Andy Cutter, the Consultation & Education Department head argues that it is not only the revenue that should be the basis, aside from being a come-on service that creates awareness of the center in the local community; it also performs great public service. It is this public service that is essential so that all centers continue their funding. The argument however is that Consultation & Education (C&E) projects can still continue to be provided without a full department on a less resource and less expensive basis.
The process of evaluative measures is an analysis of the participants and market of the varied C&E programs to determine popularity of C&E program in the community. Based on the evaluative measure, the outcome measure should present the implications of the importance of C&E programs into the overall concerns of the center including awareness creation and client conversion. For instance, one must ask the question; do the C&E programs fulfill its intent in providing key C&E services to the community? Is the C&E program's popularity essential to the relevance, perception of & importance of the center to the community? Without these C&E programs, could the center have achieved its goals? Is it possible, with the descriptive statistics as basis, to consider the C&E programs as part of the community service, awareness and marketing campaign of the Center that deserves continued funding?
A listing of current available C&E programs, their purpose and the manner by which they are marketed; a thorough presentation of the varied cooperative liaisons between the C&E department and varied groups and organizations in the community in relation to this program, a listing of past and current C&E program participants and their reasons for participating; A listing of C&E program participants who moved on to register with the center's revenue-generating programs. The above data should be easily collected from the Center's database and should be presented in a tabular form. Descriptive statistics should be used to illustrate the rate/percentage of C&E participants that move into the revenue-generating programs.
The evaluative measure results will become part of the supporting evidence and, to answer or provide viewpoints in the outcome measure questions raised; specialists who have experience on such matters will be asked to give their opinion. Additionally, members of the local community who benefit from the service will also be asked, including key organizations and community institutions (i.e. schools). Also, interviews with C&E participants who moved up towards participating in more revenue generating programs will be interviewed. This will provide qualitative data in terms of the importance of the C&E programs and in the decisions they made and if it made an impact in their lives.
By evaluating the Greenby community mental health center some issues and challenges may arise such as the confronting of the issues and challenges. The public will be aware of the evaluation and will be notified of the outcome of the evaluation weather it would be positive or negative. In return if it is a negative outcome, the public may refuse to use the services provided by that organization.

One may believe that an evaluation of the center's C&E programs might provide helpful in defending its case to the Board. One may also believe that Andy Cutter is frustrated in that he feels that the board does not see the value of the C&E programs to the community and to the center because of its low revenue. There is a real possibility that his C&E programs might lose their funding. But via the results of the evaluative and outcome measurement, he has a chance in proving his case.

Reference
Lewis A Judith, Packard. Thomas, Lewis. Michael. (2007). Management of Human Service Programs
4e.Evaluating Human Service Programs
Gomby & Larson. (1992) Process Evaluation. Retrieved from: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/css/cs1lk55.htm World Health Organization. (2000). Process Evaluation. Retrieved From: http://www.unodc.org/docs/treatment//process_evaluation.pdf Maluccio, Anthony. (2008). International Association for Outcome Based Evaluation and Research on Family and Children Services. Retrieved from: http://www.outcome-evaluation.org