What Works? Integrating Multiple Data Sources and Policy Research Methods in Assessing Need and Evaluating Outcomes in Community-Based Child and Family Service Systems

Elan Melamid

ResearchPublished 2002

This research examines the roles that policy analysts and policy research may play in improving the effectiveness of systems of care serving at-risk children and their families. The author presents four separate analytic methodologies and discusses how they can be integrated to evaluate outcomes and improve the quality of service in community-based child and family social service systems. He explicitly examines the roles that rigorous policy research can play in such contexts and the limitations and challenges of applying these new analytic techniques in public social service settings. Finally, the author suggests areas in which policy researchers, systems managers, political leaders, clients, and community members might focus their work in the future.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 2002
  • Paperback Pages: 156
  • Document Number: RGSD-161

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Melamid, Elan, What Works? Integrating Multiple Data Sources and Policy Research Methods in Assessing Need and Evaluating Outcomes in Community-Based Child and Family Service Systems, RAND Corporation, RGSD-161, 2002. As of September 19, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/rgs_dissertations/RGSD161.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Melamid, Elan, What Works? Integrating Multiple Data Sources and Policy Research Methods in Assessing Need and Evaluating Outcomes in Community-Based Child and Family Service Systems. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2002. https://www.rand.org/pubs/rgs_dissertations/RGSD161.html.
BibTeX RIS

Research conducted by

This publication is part of the RAND dissertation series. Pardee RAND dissertations are produced by graduate fellows of the Pardee RAND Graduate School, the world's leading producer of Ph.D.'s in policy analysis. The dissertations are supervised, reviewed, and approved by a Pardee RAND faculty committee overseeing each dissertation.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.