U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Moving Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Programs Forward: Improving Program Evaluations

NCJ Number
123156
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: (1990) Pages: 187-206
Author(s)
A Fink; L McCloskey
Date Published
1990
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Thirteen evaluations recommended by experts and published from 1978 through 1988 were reviewed. Using the true experiment as the standard of quality, it was found that evaluations were frequently characterized by careful attention to methodologic detail.
Abstract
To learn more about prevention of abuse and neglect, the caliber of evaluation research must improve. Evaluators do not define abuse or neglect; they accept reports of abuse. This has the effect of shifting the responsibility to others whose concerns and reporting standards differ. Lack of definition is reflected in the insufficiency of valid measurements. The characteristics of families who benefit most from programs could not be assessed. Although seven evaluations studied health-related variables, no comprehensive analysis of the consequences and costs of medical neglect could be found; very little information on costs and benefits of any kind was available. 1 table, 31 references, appendix. (Author abstract modified)