Program Evaluation in Social Work

Program evaluation in social work is the systematic application of social-science methods to judge a program's need, design, implementation, outcomes, and efficiency, in order to improve programs and inform decisions about them. Drawing on the evaluation-research tradition of Rossi, Lipsey, and Freeman and adapted for social work by Royse, Thyer, and Padgett, it spans a hierarchy of evaluation questions — from whether a program is needed and well-conceived to whether it is delivered as intended, produces the intended outcomes, and is worth its cost.