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Sample Program Evaluation Essay

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Program Evaluation Article Critique Overview This program evaluation article by Duffy, Barry, Curry, Darragh, and Lees, reviews an initiative to improve the working relationship between Northern Ireland’s adult mental health services, and child protection services by reviewing a program called “The Champions Initiative” (Duffy, Barry, Darragh, & Lees, 2010). This was developed to facilitate a joint working environment to improve services and protection for children whose parent(s) may have mental health issues (Duffy et al., 2010). The Champions Initiative appointed a “champion” from each team of child protection workers, and mental health services, and their responsibility was to provide information, promote a joint working environment, and identify obstacles which would hinder good cooperation between the two teams (Duffy et al., 2010). The program evaluation assessed the levels of experience, training, confidence and awareness of the Champions, followed up with them in six months to assess the impact and the effectiveness of the program, and offered recommendations to …show more content…

158-159). “In reviewing the literature, the focus was on identifying the impact of parental mental health, the associated risks, the difficulties with the interface working, and proposed solutions” (Duffy et al., 2010, p. 159). Some of concerns expressed for the program to be effective were how mental health and child care services work together, communication between the two, role clarity, and the outcome hoped to be achieved by the development of this program was to provide holistic interventions which could not be provided by just one agency, earlier intervention which was more effective, to decrease staff stress, and to obtain a better outcome for the families involved (Duffy et al.,

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