THE USE OF EVALUATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STAFFED RESIDENTIAL SERVICE FOR ADULTS WITH MENTAL HANDICAP

Abstract

Although there is widespread acceptance that services should be evaluated there is little evidence that evaluations have much influence on services. This study reports an evaluation which was designed specifically to influence development in a residential service for adults with mental handicap. A rationale is provided for the design of the evaluation and the subsequent evaluation process and methodology is described. Results are presented which show that ‘second generation’ services can achieve levels of performance similar to those reported by ‘exemplary’ projects on such measures as client engagement and staff interaction. Equally, the marked variability in results across the district-wide service indicated both the need and the scope for significant improvements. The consequences of feeding back this information to management are described. Finally the practicability and usefulness of this type of evaluation are discussed.