Measurement Framework
Service coordination is a high priority in home visiting, yet we know little about how home visiting programs currently achieve coordination with other agencies and organizations within early childhood systems of care. The purpose of the framework is to:
- Develop a shared understanding of what it takes to achieve coordination.
- Provide measures of coordination inputs, activities, and outcomes that home visiting programs can use for needs assessment, monitoring, and evaluation.
To develop the framework, we worked closely with stakeholders and experts from home visiting and related sectors. Using a systematic process, the group identified characteristics of systems, organizations, and individuals that support coordination, activities that lead to coordination, and the benefits derived. The framework specifies inputs, activities, and outcomes.
Click on the (+) in the diagram below to learn more about specific inputs, activities, and associated indicators to measure their achievements.
Inputs
What are inputs?
Inputs are resources dedicated to or used by the project.
- Economic, political, and legal conditions
- Leadership and infrastructure
- Shared visions, goals, and standards
- Inter-agency relationships and collaboration
- Family characteristics
- Service needs
- Service preferences
- Attitudes, values, beliefs, and norms
- Real and perceived role within early childhood system
- Relationship with other EC organizations
- Resources
- Staff with designated roles
- Training to assess/screen, refer, hand-off, and follow-up
- Supervision/coaching
- Data system to support decision making
- Policies and procedures for communication between HV programs and other agencies
Activities
What are activities?
Activities are what the project does with inputs to fulfill its mission.
- Establish roles across organizations
- Assess family strengths and needs
- Create a goal plan
- Facilitate referrals and linkages
- Monitor, follow-up and respond to change
- Support self-management of goals
- Align services with population needs and community resources
Outcomes
What are outcomes?
Outcomes are the benefits or changes associated with completion of activities. We refer to three categories of outcomes. Short-term program outcomes are the sole responsibility of the home visiting program and can be achieved relatively quickly. Short-term system outcomes are those that home visiting programs must achieve while working with other community agencies and organizations. Long-term program outcomes will be achieved after short-term program and systems outcomes have been realized. They also require work on the part of multiple agencies and organizations within the early childhood system.
- Increased family satisfaction and engagement with HV services
- Increased referrals to home visiting program
- Increased feedback to community providers
- Increased relationships between HV and other community providers
- Increased awareness of EC services and family needs in community
- Increased efficiency of services
- Increased timely services
- Decreased unmet needs
- Reduced duplication of services
- Enhanced child and family health and well-being
- Improved life course trajectories
- Increased population health
- Equity in health, well-being, and life course trajectories
- Sustainable infrastructure for coordination