Multiagency outcome evaluation of children's services: a case study

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Public Health
• Child Welfare

Background:

• Outcome monitoring is crucial for accountability and program improvement in human service agencies.
• Existing systems often lack the technical sophistication needed for effective impact assessment.
• There is a need for integrated, statewide systems to track service outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of SumOne for Kids, an advanced outcome-monitoring system.
• To detail the design principles, validation methods, and outcome selection rationale.
• To share lessons learned for establishing similar systems in children's services.

Main Methods:

• A three-year development and one-year implementation of the SumOne for Kids system.
• Collaboration with 31 children's service agencies in Pennsylvania.
• Utilized social validation for outcome selection and focused on functional outcomes.

Main Results:

• SumOne for Kids was successfully developed and implemented as a technically advanced system.
• The system facilitated a bottom-up/top-down approach to statewide outcome monitoring.
• Functional outcomes were prioritized over clinical outcomes for broader applicability.

Conclusions:

• SumOne for Kids offers a robust model for outcome monitoring in children's mental health and child welfare.
• The development process yielded valuable insights for managers, evaluators, and leaders.
• Implementing outcome-monitoring systems requires a strategic blend of technical design and stakeholder engagement.