SASP Administrator Newsletter: Program Evaluation (January 2015)

Greetings SASP Administrators!

Administrators, coalitions and local programs want survivors to have good services that really support them on their healing journeys. You also want to be able to show how effective and vital sexual assault intervention services are, and you may also feel pressure to prove that grant funds are well spent. These reasons and more may lead you to seriously contemplate program evaluation strategies.

With program evaluation for sexual assault services, there are no easy answers, and it can actually be very challenging to even know the right questions. A number of intrinsic difficulties exist such as the nature of the work, including issues like anonymous hotline calls, one-time advocacy visits, and the highly sensitive and traumatic nature of the survivor’s experience as well as the lack of a robust evidence base. It is critically important that any program evaluation work we do be trauma-informed and survivor- and stakeholder-centered. The most successful evaluation projects are built on a strong foundation of collaboration and stakeholder involvement. It is critical that all the people involved in the evaluation understand and support the measures, process, and outcomes. One of the most serious pitfalls an administrator can fall into is advancing a program evaluation agenda without adequate stakeholder buy-in from the state coalition and local programs. Involving the coalition, local programs, and in some cases, survivors and community members in designing and co-creating the evaluation process and tools is the best way to get sustainable, valuable, and valued evaluation results.

A number of states have successfully undertaken evaluation projects with these key factors in mind, and we share their journeys and materials with you in this newsletter. Please also make sure to look through the sturdy section of evaluation resources.

Finally, as you contemplate evaluation, it is important to remember the sources of data we already have. Sometimes, we simply have to ask new questions of existing data to get the answers we need. SASP Administrators submit an annual report to the University of Southern Maine Muskie School of Public Service Violence Against Women Act Measuring Effectiveness Initiative each year. These reports are a source of program evaluation data for OVW, Congress and other stakeholders. It is very important that Muskie is receiving accurate numbers and compelling stories about the work of SASP in your states. We know that the stories of survivors and anecdotes remain the most powerful way to talk about the importance of the work we do.

In 2008, the Kentucky Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (KASAP) contracted with Dr. Stephanie Townsend to work with them to create evaluation tools for both services and systems response in Kentucky, and together they developed, “The Healing Voices Project.” The Healing Voices Project includes evaluation of services at sexual assault programs as well as the systems response to survivors. Read the full article in the attachment section.

PCAR’s Victim Service Program Evaluation Project

The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape’s Victim Service Program Evaluation Project (VSPE) was started in 1996 by six victim service agencies in Western Pennsylvania with the intention of assessing the effectiveness of services and developing a more effective way of demonstrating to funding sources and the public the purpose and impact of providing services to victims of crime. Read about their current evaluation efforts and view their guidebook with history and surveys as well as their implementation checklist in the attachments section.

Sexual Assault Services Evaluation Resources:

Program Evaluation: Knowing is Half the Battle (RSP SASP White Paper)