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| Acknowledgements | |
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| Introduction | |
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| Why Should I Want to Evaluate? | |
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| The different reasons for evaluation | |
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| Evaluation at different stages of the work | |
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| In whose interests? | |
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| When evaluation gets a bad name | |
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| The centrality of outcomes | |
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| Why is Outcome Evaluation so Crucial? | |
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| survival in the current climate | |
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| The policy context | |
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| Outcomes and the commissioning process | |
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| Positioning your agency for commissioning | |
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| Randomised control studies - their value and their challenges | |
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| Identifying Outcomes | |
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| Outcome models | |
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| The significance of outcome models for service providers | |
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| What are 'outcomes'? Understanding the vocabulary | |
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| Identifying and defining the outcomes for your project | |
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| Outcomes at different levels - seeing how you contribute to the whole | |
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| Understanding what individuals gain from a programme | |
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| So How Do I Start and What Do I Need to Think About? | |
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| Making a plan - answering the essential questions | |
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| Designing it in | |
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| Making sure the plan addresses the outcome questions | |
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| Practicalities and logistics | |
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| The need for 'objectivity' | |
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| The need to prevent harm | |
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| Thinking About Ethics | |
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| Safeguarding out participants - the principles | |
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| Informed consent and how to get it | |
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| Voluntary participation | |
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| Confidentiality and anonymity | |
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| Equalities | |
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| Protecting children and vulnerable adults | |
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| Legal constraints | |
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| What do you do if your results reveal problems? | |
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| What Do I Need to Know to Answer the Key Evaluation Questions? | |
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| Clarifying the research questions | |
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| What do 'data' and 'evidence' mean? | |
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| What evidence do I need? | |
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| Indicators and measures | |
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| The 'hard' and 'soft' dilemma | |
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| Economic evaluation and the 'value for money' question | |
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| The credibility of the evidence | |
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| A balanced picture: Friedman's essential elements of information | |
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| How Do I Get That Information? | |
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| Sources of evaluation data | |
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| Ways of using the information to test and demonstrate outcomes | |
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| Methods of collecting the information | |
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| Peer evaluation | |
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| Samples | |
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| Basic survey-design issues | |
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| Setting up data-collection systems | |
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| Choosing the 'best fit' methods | |
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| Keeping it practical | |
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| Evaluation Tools and How to Use Them Effectively | |
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| Existing surveys and assessment systems | |
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| Using your own questionnaires and interview schedules | |
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| Project records as a source of evidence | |
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| Case studies | |
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| Participatory activities | |
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| Users' own material | |
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| The uses and abuses of qualitative material | |
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| Analysing and Presenting Your Findings | |
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| Interpreting survey data | |
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| Analysing qualitative data | |
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| Being clear about the evidence - some pitfalls in presenting data | |
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| What makes a convincing report? | |
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| Using your report strategically | |
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| The Pros and Cons of the Outcome Focus | |
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| Some advantages of concentrating on outcomes | |
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| Some reservations about logic models | |
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| Problems in assessing outcomes | |
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| The logistics of commissioning | |
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| Problems facing small organisations | |
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| Revisiting the benefits | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| So get started! | |
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| It may have unexpected benefits | |
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| Whatever the problems - evidence of outcomes is a necessity | |
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| Examples and Checklists To Help You | |
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| Useful Websites | |
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| Glossary | |
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| References | |
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| Subject Index | |
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| Author Index | |
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| List of tables and figures | |
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| An example of a project'outcome' | |
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| Extract from Wildside summary of activities and outcomes | |
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| Outcomes - a continuum | |
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| Evaluating the effects of an intervention - a four-level framework | |
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| Extract from Work Programme for Positive Youth Engagement Evaluation 2007-9 | |
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| Extract from Assessment and Review form used by midwives in a Sure Start project | |
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| Outputs and outcomes for the'Shape Up Weight Loss Programme' | |
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| Friedman's three simple performance-measure categories | |
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| A summary of advantages and disadvantages of different evaluation methods | |
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| The commissioning framework for planning children's and young people's services | |
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| An outcome model | |
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| The Blob Tree | |
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| Confidence outcomes wheel | |
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| A simple summary-sheet format | |