Formative evaluation of a collaborative community-based child abuse prevention project

Objective: Together for Kids is a child abuse prevention project that serves children and families in two neighboring communities in a mid-sized Canadian city. The project, a collaborative endeavor of various agencies in the health, social services, and law enforcement sectors, focuses on preventing child abuse and neglect through family support and programming. This article presents the results of a formative evaluation of the project focusing on client and team member views on project implementation. Method: The evaluation strategy was primarily qualitative. In-person interviews following a semi-structured format were conducted with 17 clients and 10 team members by an external evaluator. In addition, a review of all client records was conducted. Results: The community-based approach, the multidisciplinary composition of the team, the ability to seek services when needed, the immediacy of the response time and the availability of support during stressful times were all aspects of the project that clients found beneficial. The most beneficial aspect of the project, however, was the informal support received from team members who were accepting, non-threatening, and non-judgemental. Team members found the collaborative approach made access to services easier for clients, particularly for those who were more socially isolated. Conclusions: Multidisciplinary, community-based models of service delivery contribute to a more effective and compassionate response to vulnerable families. Attention to the variables identifed as important aspects of the project from the clients' perspective in this evaluation may assist others in developing similar programs. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.