aes19 International Evaluation Conference

Kale Dyer (Family & Community Services)

Program logics provide a framework for a systematic, integrated approach to program planning, implementation, and evaluation. They foster a shared understanding of how a program operates by clearly articulating program activities and desired outcomes, and clearly illustrating the change processes underlying an intervention.

This presentation will demonstrate an extension of program logic focusing on better integrating evidence, making explicit the mechanism of change, and embedding the NSW Human Services Outcomes Framework into program design and evaluation. A distinguishing feature of the approach is the inclusion of sections that articulate the research evidence and mechanisms of change for the program. The approach includes the evidence base for how and why the core components and flexible activities that make up the program are expected to achieve the proposed outcomes. The ability to generalise program findings is improved by identifying core components and flexible activities. These evidence extensions highlight why components of the program are likely to be effective, and links client needs to intended outcomes. This clarification facilitates improved commissioning of research and evaluation, embedding evidence in programs, explicit discussion of mechanisms of change, and a client centred approach to achieving outcomes.

Discussion around the benefits and challenges of implementation of this extended program logic model in a government agency will be provided. Benefits include how it has facilitated more effective program evaluations by identifying areas of focus, informing the development of meaningful evaluation questions and identifying relevant client centred measures to address those questions.