Enhancing the Social Relevance of Evaluation Practice

ABSTRACT

We argue that the social relevance of evaluation research is dependent upon two issues: the extent which evaluation practice reflects the values underlying social policies and the political reality of the policy implementation process. The evaluation of community based residential services should, therefore, reflect those values implicit in the formulation and implementation of the policy of ‘deinstitutionalisation’.

Evaluation strategies are outlined that focus upon: (1) evaluating the extent to which the residential environment reflects the values of the surrounding culture, (2) quantifying the extent to which service users are actually living in the ‘community’, and (3) assessing outcomes significant to the quality of life of service users.