Evaluation Toolkit

This toolkit contains an array of evaluation resources that counties can use to develop an approach to measure the outcomes and results of their Linkages program.

Why Evaluate?

Evaluation can serve multiple purposes throughout the course of your Linkages program. In the early stages of getting Linkages going, the most relevant evaluation questions focus on whether and how the implementation process is occurring. Later, evaluation allows counties to demonstrate the efficacy of their unique Linkages program. By tracking Linkages outcomes and showing results, the case can be made to county leadership and other stakeholders why it’s important to support and sustain Linkages.

Steps for Evaluation

Evaluating whether Linkages is having the desired impact on families’ lives starts with determining the nature of the information you want to gather. Building off examples throughout the Linkages Toolkit website, each county can set their specific evaluation outcomes, and start down the road to determine who’s involved, how information will be collected, and how the findings will be analyzed and put to use.

Outcome Evaluation Roadmap

Implementation Evaluation

Whether your Linkages program is being implemented in one location or many, it’s important to know what Linkages looks like on the ground and the progress being made to get this new practice up and running. In other words, is the Linkages program you envisioned the one that’s actually in place? This involves asking staff how they define Linkages, to what extent service coordination is being practiced and if mutual families are being served. Refer to the examples below for ideas about how you might build your own survey.

Implementation Survey ExampleOrganization Change Survey ExampleStaff Survey Example