Participatory Evaluation (PE)

1. Presentation by: Kimberly Baker January 30, 2008 Participatory Evaluation (PE) “Involving Children and Young People in Research on Domestic Violence and Housing” by Helen Baker

2. What is PE? • A learning process for the program recipients that will help them in their effort to reach desired goals (Greenwood & Levin, 1998) • Process of self-assessment, collective knowledge production, and cooperative action (Jackson & Kassam, 1998) • Process controlled by the people in the program. It is a formal, reflective process for their own development and empowerment (Patton, 1990).

3. Goal/Purpose of PE • Goal: • Improve program/organization or solve problems, not to seek definitive statements about outcomes (formative evaluation) • Purpose: • Practical • Useful • Formative • Empowering

4. Who is involved in PE? • Participants: • Evaluator is a teacher, collaborator, and participant (not an expert) • Key Stakeholders for the program or organization • People who can make decisions or implement programming • Intricately involved in the entire process • Control of the evaluation is jointly shared by evaluator and stakeholders

5. PE seeks to be: • Practical • Useful • Formative • Empowering

6. PE Advantages • Results are useful • Gives ownership to individuals carrying out recommendations • Flexibility and tailor-made • Real, needed change within organization • Increased communication, program understanding, stronger partnerships, etc

7. PE Disadvantages • Time-consuming • Clients and participants may need special assistance to participate fully • Rewards and consequences must be clearly spelled out to promote full participation • Usually not generalizable

8. Case Study Description • Baker, H. (2005). Involving children and young people in research on domestic violence and housing. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 27(3-4), 281-297. • University of Liverpool and Save the Children UK • Aim of study was to involve children research in a participatory manner: • to investigate service provision (housing) available for children experiencing domestic violence • to make concrete recommendations for change • to highlight good practices

9. Case Study Approach • 3 geographical areas to get sufficient number of children participants • 19 children ages 5-16 years • 5 parents • 39 service providers • 3 stages • Detailed review of policy and legal frameworks • Questionnaire to 300 service providers nationwide • Direct consultation of children and service providers

10. How PE is Used • Wide range of methods due to different skills of children because of age: Semi-structured interviews Focus groups Vignettes Drawings • Children fully participated in the research findings: • They were informed of outcomes of their report • One teenager helped write the final report and was instrumental in working with the research team to identify main issues for children • One teen talked with the media about the project findings

11. Findings: Homelessness • Despite policies to protect children in their own homes, many must leave so that the abuser cannot locate them • many escapes lead to homelessness • feelings of trauma, confusion, insecurity, anger • Policy is to give priority accommodations to people who are unintentionally homeless • Lack of available housing stock • Many children have to move to urban areas that are quite scary and unfamiliar

12. Findings: Appropriate Housing • Different opinions in policy – must provide “appropriate” accommodations • Children: safe physical environment, can play, near public transportation to get to school and see friends • Housing shortage in rural areas: cramped hotel rooms, no room to play, share washing and cooking area with strangers, and lack of security • Policy changed so that when a child is involved then a hotel cannot be used

13. Findings: Refuges • Refuges provide many services for children: • Play activities Counseling sessions • Day trips Safety • Children all agree that refuges were instrumental and valuable – BUT there’s a shortage of refuge accommodations due to funding • New standards for refuges regarding staff ratios and enough space for children’s activities • Despite new policies and standards, the participating children reveal that there are still problems.

14. Case Study Opinions • The research is compromised somewhat due to: • Constraints of time • Access to children who agreed or whose parents agreed to participate (biases) • May only reflect views of children who seek help • Doesn’t quite fit PE – the children were interviewed and helped write up report but they didn’t get to help define issues, write new policies or implement the new standards