Final Report - RI Department of Children, Youth & Families

APPENDIX K: PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND OUTCOMES
In the System of Care, the development of the outcome evaluation builds on the work completed to date by state agencies in
developing common outcomes to use across the system. This process involves stakeholder participation to determine what
outcomes are expected or hoped for and to think through how individual participant/client outcomes connect to specific program
or system level outcomes. These outcomes measures:
! Help answer questions about what works, for whom, under what conditions and how to improve program delivery and service
! Determine which implementation activities and contextual factors are supporting or hindering outcomes and overall program
effectiveness
! Demonstrate the effectiveness of the system and make the case for its continued funding.
A formative evaluation approach is used integrating evaluation processes into the routine operation of service provision. In the
System of Care, evaluations develop useful, accessible findings that bridge the gap between research and practice, informing
decision-making and improving service programming. It shifts the focus from outputs to results –from how a program operates to
the good it accomplishes 26 .
26 Stroul, 1993/Woodbridge and Huang, 2000.
System of Care Task Force Report (January 2003) 100