Week 11: Class Reading - Chasity

Ch. 11: Planning, Implementing, Monitoring, and Evaluating the Intervention

This chapter begins by discussing macro level intervention. The author advises that, “Selecting an intervention is not a simple matter of brain storming or choosing the most popular suggestion.” (364). All participants must understand and agree to the intervention and its design.

As the text states, “A brief written document may be prepared at this point which includes (1) a statement that clearly explains the problem or need (2), a description of the proposed change and its results and (3) a description of strategies and tactics to get the change accepted.” Simply because people are participating throughout this process should not be taken as a sign that they agree with the final outcome. It is important to finalize any disagreements or concerns before developing the details of the intervention.

There is a seven task planning process which will come about as well. The tasks will include setting a goal, developing outcome objectives for the intervention, developing process objectives, listing activities for each process objective, initiating the action plan, monitoring the intervention and evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention.

It is easy to assume that nothing can go wrong due to all of the planning and consensus building, nothing can fail or go wrong. This is on the contrary, however, because even lack of careful attention to detail can cause a planned intervention to go wrong.

The text gives the example of Cedar City, which was on the rise of growing at a fairly rapid rate. The population had increased by 58% from 2000-2008. Cedar City’s elected officials include a mayor and town council. Also included are a town manager, budget director, town attorney, water and sewer department, police and fire departments, parks and recreation department, and a planning and community development department. Their school system has nine elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools.

The town began to notice a decline when a serious recession hit. In the first year of recession, “the town froze all hiring, swept all funds for training and travel and cut back on some of the benefits that had been granted to town staff.” By the second year of the recession, officials realized that there must now be reduction in staff. When every other budget expense was reduced as much as it could be, the town decided that it must cut back on police and fire personnel.

The town called a meeting to determine what would be done during this time. It was decided that volunteers and part-time staff would be used to carry out the certain functions that were once necessary by full time staff.

The higher ups decided that “if a policy including the following town components was accepted by the town council: current entry level job descriptions will be examined to determine which tasks can be distributed to volunteers. Job descriptions to volunteers will be drafted, spelling out limits and liabilities. Training sessions and certification requirements will be prepared and a Volunteer Coordinator will be appointed.”

In order to get Cedar City back on track, they needed to establish some objectives. There are outcome objectives and process objectives. “An outcome objective specifies the result or outcome to be achieved with and for the target population.” Process objectives specify “the procedures to be followed in order to achieve the result.”

“A complete objective, whether outcome or process, has four parts. (1) a time frame (2) a target (3) a result and (4) a criteria for measuring or documenting.

Another integral concept is a strategy for dealing with interpersonal problems among members of the team. Not only should it be established, but it should be communicated to all participants.