NCJ Number
86623
Date Published
Unknown
Length
49 pages
Annotation
This is a summary of a report on the development of an evaluation system to monitor the care provided to youth in community-based facilities in Maryland.
Abstract
The ultimate goal of the project was to establish an ongoing evaluation system involving the Juvenile Services Administration and Maryland Group Homes. An initial set of instruments was developed and tested. They included (1) Residents' Psychological Inventory, designed to measure seven psychological outcomes pertaining to residents; (2) Residents' Behavioral Checklist, designed to measure the frequency of resident involvement in various types of responsible and rebellious behavior during the 2 months prior to the study, as reported by the residents themselves; (3) Staff/Youth Specific Instrument, which permitted staff to report on their knowledge of frequency of the same types of resident behavior during the 2 months prior to the study; (4) Resident Interview, which sought residents' appraisal of treatment processes and program dynamics; (5) Staff Questionnaire, which sought information on staff burn-out and job satisfaction; and (6) Administrative Questionnaire, which sought information on group home operations, home characteristics, program characteristics, program processes, and program objectives. A sample of 23 homes was selected to test the evaluation procedure. Findings are summarized from both the resident and staff data obtained, and implications are drawn for the development of a group home evaluation system.