What does it take to undergo a gang prevention program evaluation? How do you define success?
Delinquency prevention programs are constantly struggling to secure the limited funds necessary to effectively combat gang problems.
They do this by identifying multiple threats, developing fresh initiatives, and employing accurate outcomes assessment techniques.
To ensure that they receive their fair share of financial support, a gang prevention program should not rely on project alone, but must also actively demonstrate widespread impact.
Turning the Heart and ROCA are two organizations that have recognized this dilemma.
By integrating Social Solutions’ Efforts-to-Outcomes (ETO™) software, both non profits have taken steps to effectively measure - and continue – their intervention programs.
Gang Prevention Program Evaluations:
Why Are They So Vital to Youth Development
While gang violence is less prominent than it was two decades ago, the trend still indicates steady growth, especially during the first decade of the new millennium.
In their most recent survey, the National Gang Center estimated that 32.4 percent of municipalities experienced gang problems in 2008, a 15 percent increase from 2002.
Their data also revealed an active population of 774,000 gang members and 27,900 gangs in the United States the same year. The number of gangs jumped 28 percent, and the number of members, 6 percent, within a six-year span.
Currently, about a quarter of all gang members are between the ages of 15 and 17.
The need for an established gang prevention program in each community – or the expansion of existing organizations – is becoming increasingly clear.
They may be the only available lifelines to rescue at-risk youth from addiction, destitution and criminal behavior.
Unfortunately, without adequate tools, gang intervention organizations risk failure and subsequent disregard by major benefactors.
That’s the driving force behind Social Solutions and Efforts-to-Outcomes non profit software.
ETO’s customizable platform makes it easy for gang prevention program evaluators to measure project efficiency, thus guaranteeing future funding.
Three Straightforward Functions of Efforts-to-Outcomes Software
The face of teenage violence is always subject to change.
To keep pace with emerging trends, interventionists require a certain level of flexibility. They need to be prepared to launch new or alter existing initiatives based on shifting data.
ETO empowers organizations to quickly respond to change by identifying target groups often, tracking progress, and measuring performance of new programs.
Pinpoint a Target Group
One of the most advantageous features of ETO is its capability to identify groups in need.
Turning the Heart, for example, utilizes this function for its youth development program, dividing targeted groups according to demographics such as age, citizenship and gender.
ROCA does the same to ensure that its programs are consistent with the needs of its targeted populations – street gangs, high school dropouts, young parents, and refugees and immigrants.
Both organizations track changes in demographic groups and make recommendations for improvement based on the data.
With ETO case management software’s date range function, staff members can also break down demographics even further and produce real-time, up-to-the-minute progress reports for funders.
Track Progress
Gang prevention program evaluators can continually monitor attendance and personal development using ETO software.
Turning the Heart has taken advantage of the system to create assessments gauging emotional, educational and intellectual development.
Staff members, in turn, assign a score after each assessment, and by comparing them with past scores, can evaluate the extent of an individual’s personal growth.
Meanwhile, ROCA tracks participants through each of their five stages of change and measures progress against three key indicators:
- What is their level of engagement?
- Are they self-sufficiency and economically independent?
- Is there a noticeable decrease in risky behavior?
Not only can ETO software gather this raw data into one central location, but it can also translate it into visual representations for use by both service providers and funders.
Deliver Results
Gang prevention program grant makers and sponsors want assurance that their investment will not be wasted. That’s why most funders demand that organizations present clear evidence of impact.
Thanks to ETO software, Turning the Heart is able to deliver regular updates about target groups, individual progress, and measurable outcomes to their benefactors.
This has allowed the organization to persist in its mission to change youth and families by providing thriving education, leadership development and family enhancement services.
ROCA employs ETO software to track staff competency, maintain transparency, and analyze patterns in behavior and program effectiveness.
Consequently, the organization was recently named a recipient of a $2.3 million “Pathways Out of Poverty” federal grant, and $150,000 award from the State Street Foundation for its High-Risk Youth Intervention Model.
Turning the Heart and ROCA are real examples of how Social Solutions is working to re-invent human services and create a better world for all.
Interested in learning more? View the webinar for yourself!
Click here to view how Social Solutions helps gang prevention program evaluations.
