Significant amounts of money and resources are spent on child and family services, so successful evaluation of whether or not they are achieving the best outcomes is therefore essential.

This edited collection offers an international perspective on the challenges of designing and undertaking outcome-based evaluation of child and family services. With contributions from leading international experts, it introduces the key ideas and issues currently being debated in the evaluation of these services; discusses relevant approaches to designing and using evaluation methods; and provides examples of evaluation from the real world of policy and practice. Issues covered include setting appropriate indicators for service effectiveness, cross-cultural evaluation of service interventions, service user involvement in evaluation, and evaluations of family and community-based services.

This invaluable book will be essential reading for policy makers, planners, commissioners and managers across child and family welfare services, as well as researchers and other academics in the field.

Foreword (James k. Whittaker)

Part 1. Evaluating outcomes for children and families: improving the evidence-base.

• Improving the evidence-base (The editors)
• Demystifying evidence in child welfare (Nina Biehal)
• Unlocking the mysteries of program evaluation: lessons from a comprehensive evaluation of an innovative program to reunify families (Robin Spath and Barbara A. Pine)

Part 2. Methods for finding and using evidence.

Evaluating complexity in community-based programs (Anita Lightburn and Chris Warren-Adamson)

• Approaches to evaluation in services for families and children (Cinzia Canali, Tiziano Vecchiato, Anthony N. Maluccio)
• Understanding the nature, structure and context of services in family support centres (Marianne Berry, Colleen Reed)
• In their own words: alumni of foster care talk about preparation for independent living (Anne Nicoll, Kate E. Holmes, Peter J. Pecora, Catherine Roller White, Kirk O’brien, Arron K. Fain)
• The challenge of using administrative data in cross-national evaluations of services for children in out-of- home care (June Thoburn).

Part 3. Evaluating outcomes in the real world: international evidence from community-based practice.

• Taking standardised programs to different cultural contexts: an example from Scotland (Jane Aldgate, Wendy Rose)
• Child physical abuse and neglect: risk assessment and evaluation of early prevention programmes (Hans Grietens)
• Identifying outcomes at the sunshine family centre in outer London (Marian Brandon)
• The important place of professional relationship: a case study of an israeli family (Anat Zeira)
• Evaluation of sensitised practice in a community centre in aotearoa/new Zealand (Robyn Munford, Jackie Sanders, Bruce Maden)
•  Assessing practice in a child and family centre in Australia (Patricia M. McNamara)

Afterword. Cross national perspectives and ideas (Mark Ezell)

References.