Identified Child Protection Program
Kristi House is a child advocacy center in Miami, Florida, that has national recognition. Child protection services are in demand, especially in the Health District, where the main branch is located. High rates of unemployment, early pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases, to name a few, necessitate the need for the services. The center has four Miami facilities, which indicates the demand for child protection services in the community. Kristi House collaborates with various stakeholders to realize its child protection mandate. The law enforcement, health care, judicial, and children and family departments are some of the partners working with the center.
The mission of the Program and Specific Population Served
The facility deals with children suffering from physical and emotional abuse at a family, school, and community level. Violation occurs in the environment that the child is frequently based; hence a child can suffer harm away from the home setting. The program’s mission is to mitigate child abuse and sex trafficking that result from abusive environments. Kristi House identifies abuse cases and deals with the trauma caused by the violence in question. Therapy is, therefore instrumental in the healing process of the victims that the center deals with regularly.
Services provided and Ways a Significant Community Need is addressed
Kristi offers advocacy services through the court system. Such services include child custody cases where the best interest is given priority. Custody is not always accorded a parent and can be assigned to a foster care guardian if deemed necessary. Police services are in use in situations that require filing a complaint or rescuing a child from an abusive situation. Hospital partnership is essential as medical services are required in some abuse cases such child rape. The department of children and families is also instrumental in identifying child abuse cases and taking the necessary action.
The community in areas such as the Health District requires child protection services due to the high levels of exposure to child abuse. High unemployment rates translate to consequent issues such as drug abuse. Children in such families are more likely to suffer abuse from family members or people outside the family setting without getting any attention from the parents. Early pregnancies translate to sexual encounters at an early age some which are as a result of rape. Identifying abuse cases is important since victims get sheltered from future abuse. Offering therapy is another way that the center fulfills a community need since psychological perspective is put into consideration. Sexual abuse is therefore one of the areas of major concern at a community level (“Child Sexual Abuse – Kristi House Children’s Advocacy Center”, 2020).
Theoretical Basis for the Program
The program is based on a theoretical child psychology approach. Child psychology involves the mental perspective aimed at dealing with child issues that negatively impact a child’s well being. The psychology aspect is utilized by the provision of trauma services as well as family support. As such the program has a theoretical basis as much there is a practical approach.
Ways the Program Would Benefit From an Evaluation
An evaluation gives a clearer indication if the intended goal is achieved. The program would benefit from such an exercise as it would be possible to know if the targeted audience is reached, quality and impact of the services offered, the need to continue or change current project and any future program needs necessary. Stakeholder involvement is important in the evaluation process as it indicates transparency and teamwork. An evaluation would boost partner confidence which would lead to more referrals, funding, and excellent publicity.
Appropriate Evaluation Methods
Process evaluation shows if the target audience has been identified and reached as well as the implementation of the outlined plans. An impact evaluation makes it possible to measure program success in relation to the goals set forth. Outcome evaluations on the other hand determine if long term goals are achieved. Issues such as mental and physical wellbeing are evaluated. A summative evaluation puts all these factors into consideration and answers the question on whether the program should continue or if any changes are necessary. These evaluation methods would determine if abused children are reached as envisioned and if the protection plan is well executed through the various activities outlined such as medical services provision. In case the goal is not achieved a review of the program would be necessary and in case of program success the project would continue as is and include other possible needs deemed viable.
Ethical Considerations in the Planning and Implementation of the Program Evaluation
Transparency integrity and honesty are vital aspects in the planning and implementation of the evaluation process. Ethical practice ensures honesty is maintained in determining the level of success or lack thereof. Honest evaluation involves all team members in the project as responsibility is divided and executed by everybody working for the program. Implementation of the evaluation process also takes goodwill to execute the identified review areas in case of areas where the goal is unrealized.
Evaluations Planning
As an external evaluator it is essential to understand what the objective of the program is all about. Initial steps would entail visiting the Kristi House for a tour of the facility. Talking to the staff members at the managerial and lower hierarchical levels would also give a clearer view of how the goal is realized and how it is also executed. Listening to the various views of the stakeholders would also be pertinent to the valuation process.
References
Child Sexual Abuse – Kristi House Children’s Advocacy Center. kristihouse.org. (2020).
Retrieved 4 June 2020, from https://kristihouse.org/services/child-sexual-abuse/.
Home – Kristi House Children’s Advocacy Center. kristihouse.org. (2020). Retrieved 4 June
2020, from https://kristihouse.org/.
Types of evaluation. Mypeer.org.au. (2010). Retrieved 4 June 2020, from
http://mypeer.org.au/monitoring-evaluation/types-of-evaluation/.