What is the Nature of the Evidence That We Should Consider Persuasive?
Support for social programs today requires tangible evidence of effectiveness. Because of the difficulty in measuring outcomes, many evaluation efforts limit themselves to measuring or describing processes. By moving beyond isolated assessments of program effectiveness and applying judgment and intelligence to understanding the relationships among diverse findings, it is possible to identify programs that work and to search out the elements that seem to account for their effectiveness. Attributes of Effective Services Successful programs share a number of common attributes: • Successful programs are comprehensive, flexible, and responsive. • Successful programs deal with the child as an individual and as part of a family and with the family as part of a neighborhood and community. • Staff in successful programs have the time, training, skills, and institutional support necessary to create an accepting environment and to build relationships of trust and respect with children and familie
