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Updated citations and expanded bibliography to include recent literature.

Updated on 3 September 2013. The previous version of this content can be found here.
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date: 08 April 2020

Abstract and Keywords

This entry discusses how four types of program evaluations can be used in social service programs: (a) needs assessments, (b) process evaluations, (c) outcome evaluations, and (d) cost-efficiency evaluations. The future of program evaluation within the social work profession is also discussed along with various trends.

Keywords: accountability, program evaluation, logic model, needs assessments, process evaluations, outcome evaluations, cost-efficiency evaluations, cost-benefit evaluations, cost-effectiveness evaluations

Richard M. Grinnell Jr.

Western Michigan University

Yvonne A. Unrau

Western Michigan University

Peter Gabor

Peter Gabor is a Professor in the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary. He is currently an Associate Dean of the Faculty and Head of its Southern Alberta Region. Peter holds a BA, BSW and MSW from McGill University and a PhD in social work from Arizona State University. Gabor has experience as a child and youth care worker and social worker, and has served as executive director of a residential children's centre and youth corrections facility. He has also held positions as a senior manager in the Alberta child welfare system. Gabor teaches research methods, evaluation, supervision and organizations at both undergraduate and graduate levels in face-to face, blended and on-line formats, and is active as a workshop leader. In partnership with the Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs (FRP Canada), he served as principal researcher of a multi-year national project to increase evaluation capacity in the family resource program sector in Canada. A national evaluation system—e-Valuation—now used at hundreds of program sites across Canada, was created as a part of this project. In his consulting practice, Gabor has conducted evaluations and has developed evaluation systems for a variety of local, provincial and national organizations.

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