Moving Along, Growing Strong

The Final Report of the Atlantic Community Action Program for Children (CAPC) Regional
December 1997

PDF Format (2.19 MB)

The views expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy of the Department of Health Canada or any of the four Atlantic provincial governments.

Également disponible en français sous le titre «Agir pour s’épanouir: Rapport final de l’évaluation régionale du Programme d’action communautaire pour les enfants (PACE) de l’Atlantique.»

Readers may reproduce this document in whole or in part. Please credit the source as follows: "Moving Along, Growing Strong: The Final Report of the Atlantic Community Action Program for Children (CAPC) Regional Evaluation", December 1997, prepared for the Health Promotion and Programs Branch, Atlantic Region, Health Canada.

The final report was revised and reprinted in December, 1999, and a limited number of copies are available. For a copy, please contact the following:

Health Promotion and Programs Branch
Health Canada
Atlantic Region
Suite 709
1557 Hollis Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 3V4

Cover Picture Project:   Maggie’s Place Truro and Amherst, NS Artist:   Chelsea, Age 5 Description:   Chelsea and Luke walking to Maggie’s Place

Moving Along, Growing Strong

The Final Report of the Atlantic Community Action Program for Children (CAPC) Regional Evaluation

Contract firms:		Extension Community Development Cooperative, St. John’s, NF Landal Incorporated, Moncton, NB
Co-Principal Investigators:		Ann O’Hanlon Madine VanderPlaat
Editor/Plain Language Writer:		Janis Wood Catano

December 1997

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND APPRECIATION

The Atlantic CAPC Regional Evaluation was a participatory, collaborative process that was made possible by the individual and collective wisdom, patience, and perseverance of all participants at all stages of planning and implementation.

First and foremost, we would like to thank the parents and volunteers who so generously gave of their time to share their experience and expertise. Without your contribution, this evaluation would not have been possible. The information and feedback you provided throughout the evaluation added richness to the data and allowed the true stories about the impacts of CAPC on the lives of families and children to emerge. We know that individually and collectively, you have made a difference in our knowledge of population health, participatory action research, and child development. Thank you.

We would also like to thank the staff and community partners of the 40 Atlantic CAPC projects who shared their experience and expertise during the evaluation. We would like to specifically acknowledge the many hours staff spent providing the information and input needed to ensure a high-quality evaluation.

We also thank the various committees who devoted many hours and much effort to the evaluation. Your efforts helped to ensure that the many "voices" that made up CAPC Atlantic were heard and respected within the participatory action process.

A very special thank you to the Atlantic Community Action Program for Children Evaluation Sub-committee (ACES) Management Team. You guided the evaluation through its many complexities, and your tenacity and devotion to ensuring that the evaluation was truly participatory and that ALL voices were heard went far beyond the call of duty.

ABOUT THIS REPORT

We recognize that this report will be read by a diverse audience. Therefore, the technical language more often found in research or technical reports has been replaced with plainer language. A glossary has been attached for readers looking for definitions of evaluation terms used throughout the report.

NOTE:

1)		The 40 projects in Atlantic Canada are primarily Family/Parent Resource Centres. Therefore, the words "centre" and "project" are used interchangeably throughout the document.
2)		In some tables, the percentages given do not add up to one hundred percent (100%) because interviewees had multiple responses to the question.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PART I:				COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN
		1.0		BACKGROUND
		1.1		Development of CAPC in the Atlantic Region
PART II:				DESCRIPTION OF THE ATLANTIC CAPC REGIONAL EVALUATION
		2.0		THE ATLANTIC CAPC REGIONAL EVALUATION
		2.1		Rationale for the Participatory Approach
		2.2		Overview of the CAPC Evaluation
				2.2.1 Putting the Evaluation Pieces Together
		2.3		Evaluating the Regional Evaluation Process - Evaluation within the Evaluation
				2.3.1 Evaluation Itself
				2.3.2 Training
				2.3.3 Communication
		2.4		Participants in the Atlantic CAPC Regional Evaluation
		2.5		Developing the Key Indicators to be Addressed by the Evaluation
				2.5.1 Document Review
				2.5.2 Consultation Process
				2.5.3 The Need to Evaluate both Process and Impacts
				2.5.4 Evaluation Questions
		2.6		Evaluation Framework
				2.6.1 Implementation and Process
				2.6.2 Individual Impacts and Effects
				2.6.3 Impacts and Effects of Adopting a Community Development Approach to Programs and Services
				2.6.4 Community Partnerships
		3.0		DATA COLLECTION
				3.0.1 Interviews
				3.0.2 Recording Interviews
				3.0.3 Focus Groups
				3.0.4 Recording Focus Groups
				3.0.5 Children’s Drawings
		3.1		Data Collection Instruments
				3.1.1 Interview Guides
				3.1.2 National Evaluation Forms
				3.1.3 Children’s Drawings
		4.0		DATA ANALYSIS
		4.1		Analytical Framework
				4.1.1 Strategies for Data Analysis
				4.1.2 Coding of the Data
		5.0		LIMITATIONS OF THE METHODOLOGY
PART III:				EVALUATION RESULTS: PROCESS AND IMPACTS
		6.0		IMPLEMENTATION AND PROCESS
		6.1		Federal/Provincial Partnership
		6.2		Programming
				6.2.1 Programs and Expected Benefits for Parents
				6.2.2 Programs and Expected Benefits for Children and Families
				6.2.3 Programs and Expected Benefits for Communities
		6.3		Recruitment and Participation
				6.3.1 Recruitment
				6.3.2 Participant Profile
				6.3.3 Participation
				6.3.4 Reasons for Discontinuing Participation
		6.4		Volunteering
		6.5		Satisfaction with Implementation and Process
		6.6		Strategies that Worked Well
		6.7		Major Findings on Implementation and Process
		7.0		INDIVIDUAL IMPACTS AND EFFECTS
		7.1		Parents and Children
				7.1.1 Overall Positive Changes
				7.1.2 Changes in Children
				7.1.3 Changes in Parents
				7.1.4 Changes in Parent/Child Relationships
				7.1.5 Changes in Parent/Other Relationships
		7.2		Impacts on Staff
				7.2.1 Positive Changes
		7.3		Parent and Staff Satisfaction with CAPC
				7.3.1 Parent Satisfaction
				7.3.2 Staff Satisfaction
		7.4		Major Findings on Individual Impacts and Effects
		8.0		IMPACTS AND EFFECTS OF ADOPTING A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH TO PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
		8.1		Working Together in CAPC Projects
				8.1.1 Integration of Parents in CAPC Project Operations and Management
				8.1.2 Sharing of Decision Making Among Participants, Staff, and Board
				8.1.3 Developing Parents’ Roles in Project Governance
		8.2		The Building of Participant Ownership, Pride, and Confidence Through Close Working Relationships
		8.3		Positive Attitudes Developed by CAPC Participants
				8.3.1 Decreasing Social Isolation and Creating Positive Attitudes to Everyday Life and Struggles
				8.3.2 Increasing Knowledge and Practice of Positive Parenting
				8.3.3 Giving Back from a Position of Growing Strength
				8.3.4 Decreasing Dependence on Health and Social Service Professionals
		8.4		Major Findings on the Impacts and Effects of Adopting a Community Development Approach to Programs and Services
		9.0		COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
		9.1		Partnerships
				9.1.1 CAPC Partners
				9.1.2 Nature of Partnerships
				9.1.3 Establishment of Partnerships
				9.1.4 Partnership Activities
		9.2		Coordination and Awareness
				9.2.1 Coordination Between CAPC and Other Community Groups
		9.3		Role of CAPC in Strengthening the Community
		9.4		CAPC Impact on Service Delivery in the Community
				9.4.1 Increased Knowledge of Services
				9.4.2 The Filling of a Need
				9.4.3 Atmosphere
				9.4.4 Professional Development
		9.5		CAPC Contribution to Community Awareness
				9.5.1 General Information
				9.5.2 Specific Agencies or Programs
				9.5.3 View of CAPC Project as a Resource
		9.6		Major Findings on Community Partnerships
		10.0		IMPACT OF THE REGIONAL EVALUATION PROCESS - EVALUATION WITHIN THE EVALUATION
		10.1		Impact of the Evaluation Itself
		10.2		Impact of the Training Component
		10.3		Impact of the Communication Component
				10.3.1 Newsletter
				10.3.2 E-Mail
				10.3.3 Toll-Free Line
		10.4		Impact of Participating in the Evaluation Process
		10.5		Major Findings on the Impact of the Regional Evaluation Process
PART IV:				CONCLUSIONS
		11.0		INTRODUCTION
		11.1		Implementation and Process: Conclusions
				11.1.1 Participation
				11.1.2 Flexibility of Projects and Programs
				11.1.3 Parent Volunteers
				11.1.4 Recruitment
				11.1.5 Environment/Atmosphere in Projects
				11.1.6 Federal/Provincial Partnership
		11.2		Individual Impacts and Effects: Conclusions
				11.2.1 Children
				11.2.2 Parents
		11.3		Impacts and Effects of Adopting a Community Development Approach to Programs and Services: Conclusions
				11.3.1 Community-Based Approach
				11.3.2 Parent Collaboration in Decision Making
		11.4		Community Partnerships: Conclusions
				11.4.1 Working Partnerships with Community Organizations
				11.4.2 Awareness of CAPC Role
				11.4.3 Coordination of Services
				11.4.4 Parents’ Awareness of Community Services
		11.5		Impact of the Regional Evaluation Process: Conclusions
				11.5.1 Evaluation of the Evaluation Itself
				11.5.2 Evaluation of the Training Component
				11.5.3 Evaluation of the Communications Component
				11.5.4 Evaluation of Participation in the Overall Evaluation Process
PART V:				RECOMMENDATIONS
		12.0		IMPLEMENTATION AND PROCESS
		12.1		Individual Impacts and Effects
		12.2		Community Development Approach to Programs and Services
		12.3		Community Partnerships
		12.4		Regional Evaluation Process
		12.5		General
PART VI:				REFLECTIONS OF A PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR ON PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH (PAR)
		13.0		BENEFITS OF A PARTICIPATORY APPROACH TO EVALUATION
		13.1		Potential Improvements to the Participatory Approach
PART VII:				FUTURE RESEARCH
		14.0		IMPLEMENTATION AND PROCESS
		14.1		Individual Impacts and Effects
		14.2		Community Development Approach to Programs and Services
		14.3		Regional Evaluation Process
BIBLIOGRAPHY
GLOSSARY

APPENDICES
				APPENDIX I		National CAPC Goals and Guiding Principles
				APPENDIX II		Involvement in the Regional Evaluation
				APPENDIX III		Evaluation Framework
				APPENDIX IV		Data Collection Instruments
				APPENDIX V		Committee Members i) Atlantic CAPC Evaluation Sub-Committee (ACES) ii) ACES Management Team iii) Provincial Project Evaluation Teams (PPET) iv) Regional Communications Committee (RCC) v) Regional Evaluation Contract Team
				APPENDIX VI		List of Projects
				APPENDIX VII		Map of Atlantic Region
ENDNOTES

Please note that this document was published by Health Canada prior to the announcement of the establishment of the Public Health Agency of Canada on September 24, 2004. Any reference to Health Canada should be assumed to be to the Public Health Agency of Canada.