Housing and Support Program (HASP): Final Evaluation Report

2.4 Procedure
2.4.1 Clients – procedure for data collection
Initial contact with clients was through their support agency. All HASP clients were approached by support staff
and invited to participate in the evaluation. Clients were informed about the evaluation and provided with details
of what their involvement would entail. Those interested in being involved completed a ‘consent to be contacted’
form and this was then mailed to the evaluation team. The evaluation team then made contact with the client
to arrange a time for interview. At this initial meeting the client was again provided with information about the
project, and fully informed consent in writing was obtained. Having obtained consent, the client was invited to
complete the Wisconsin Quality of Life Index. Eighty clients participated in this component of the evaluation.
In addition to providing consent to be involved in the evaluation, each client was also asked to provide consent
for the evaluation team to access his/her data in CIMHA and 77 of the 80 did so. Having identifi ed the date that
each individual entered HASP, it was possible to obtain the outcomes data from CIMHA for clients at 12 months
and three months prior to entering HASP and for three months and 12 months post-entry into HASP (Table 2.5).
We also examined data at 24 months post-entry into HASP, but the number of clients with completed measures
was too small to be useful in the study.
Table 2.5 Overview of data collection time-points (CIMHA D=data)
Time 1 Time 2 Time 3 Time 4
Clients enter HASP
12 months-pre 3 months-pre 3 months-post 12 months-post
In addition to the above data, a sub-group of consumers was invited to participate in in-depth interviews with
a member of the research team. These individuals were selected on their ability to contribute to an interview
and their willingness to discuss their views of HASP. Both of these criteria were assessed through observations
made by the research assistant during the completion of the Wisconsin Quality of Life Index and in subsequent
discussions with support agency staff.
2.4.2 Clinical staff – procedure for data collection
The name of the Case Manager responsible for each consumer was obtained directly from consumers during
their initial interview with the research assistant (described above). Case Managers were then contacted directly
by a research assistant and invited to complete a brief questionnaire (i.e. Case Manager Questionnaire).
This questionnaire invited Case Managers to comment on their perceptions of HASP and their interactions
with support and housing staff.
Case Managers were asked to provide general information about the program — no information concerning
any individual client was collected from Case Managers. The questionnaire was sent to Case Managers via
mail or email.
In addition, a sub-group of 31 clinical staff participated in focus group discussions and individual interviews
with a member of the research team. These individuals were selected on their willingness to contribute to
an interview and their experience of working with HASP clients. A member of the research team also conducted
individual interviews with 10 Service Integration Coordinators from across Queensland. These individuals were
contacted via email and invited to be involved in the evaluation. None of the Service Integration Coordinators
contacted refused to be involved.
Housing and Support Program (HASP)
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