Exploring the link between service quality and outcomes. Parents' assessments of family support programs

Relationships among consumer-generated quality factors, satisfaction, and outcome measures were examined for family support services provided by Michigan's public mental health system. Parents focused on structural and procedural aspects of program accessibility and attended less to program administration issues. Parents who gave the services the highest quality ratings also were the most satisfied with services, saw the services as more effective, had fewer family problems, and rated their time and child-related resources as more adequate. Implications for evaluation practice are discussed.