A sound community-based public health program design serves as the foundation for positive service outcomes.
Topics which will be covered in order to build organizational capacity in program planning, include:
Identifying a project planning team;
Identifying the target problem and the audience to be addressed;
Conducting a needs assessment to identify the necessary why?,
what?, where?, and how? of addressing the expressed needs of the target
population;
Conducting an environmental assessment in order to identify the
best methodology to support effective outreach to the identified target
population;
Developing a program workplan with goals and objectives defined in
response to the results of the needs assessment of the target community;
Developing a program budget which accurately reflects time and costs associated with the program objective and activities;
Creating a records and reporting system to facilitate writing interim and final reports;
Planning for program sustainability including: effective management
models, fiscal accountability, data tracking and reporting, leveraging
funding, understanding donor perspectives, building core infrastructure
and staffing and strategic planning.
After attending the training participants will be able to:
Define overall goals and work scope of their program;
Determine most efficient use of valuable resources;
Provide a framework that can be tested, evaluated, refined and replicated;
Enable organizations to communicate effectively with stakeholders, funders, partners and program participants;
Allow for quick responses to alterations in environmental, political, or financial situations;
Prepare an organization to access funding opportunities.
Evaluation
Evaluation is a systematic process that can be used to assess
whether program activities are effective in achieving desired outcomes.
Data collected during an evaluation process can help monitor progress
toward achieving program goals and objectives, and highlight needed
program modifications. Moreover, evaluation can be used as a program
planning tool. As new programs are being developed and goals and
objectives are delineated, asking how progress towards achieving an
objective will be evaluated or measured is a crucial tool that will
inform program planning and implementation.
Training in program evaluation will cover the following topics:
Types of evaluation: formative evaluation, process evaluation, outcome evaluation, impact evaluation, other types of evaluation
Steps in designing and conducting evaluation: engaging all
stakeholders, program description, focusing the evaluation, gathering
credible evidence, justifying conclusions
The logic model: graphic presentation of the logic model, construction and use of logic models
Participants of the training will gain skills in:
Explaining the uses and benefits if program evaluations;
Describing quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods;
Distinguishing between and describing different types of program evaluations;
Outlining steps in the design and conduct of program evaluations;
Describing the benefits of participatory evaluation in community prevention programs;
Understanding how program evaluation data can inform service delivery.
