scholarly journals How far does a whole family approach make a difference

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-92
Author(s):  
Nigel Malin ◽  
Jane Tunmore ◽  
Angela Wilcock
Keyword(s):  
Good Practice ◽  
Family Intervention ◽  
Realist Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Family Strengths ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Family Approach ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Culture Of Planning

This article reports findings from a study to support the inclusion of a Whole Family Approach (WFA) within policy and provision for children and families conducted in one large northern local authority in England. In recent years mainly from research and good practice elsewhere WFA had been seen to offer opportunities to focus on shared needs, developing strengths and assessing risk factors. The principal aim was to design an evaluation framework to enable partners to assess and measure progress in the delivery of a WF strategy. Methods included individual interviews with professionals and managers (N=22) on knowledge and experience of WFA, for example their understanding of multi-agency work, along with their evidence of adopting a WFA approach. Findings demonstrate the process of how an evaluation framework was constructed based on adapting preexisting outcome-focused 'models' used to evaluate functions of partnership-working along with indigenous sources. The first type of 'model' entailed a number of dimensions including Vision and Strategy, Partnership Dynamics, Impact and Performance Measurement. The second had two key features: it drew upon the idea of realist evaluation, a paradigm used by practitioner researchers where the focus is upon identifying mechanisms that explain how an action affects outcomes in particular contexts; and the 'model' had been applied extensively to an analysis of family intervention projects. What has emerged is an evaluation framework characterised by a number of key 'signifiers' each of which is populated by a series of questions. The framework embraces introducing changes to the culture of planning and delivering services, placing building family strengths at centre-stage.

The impact of a refurbishment programme on older people living in sheltered housing

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-64
Author(s):  
Zeibeda (Zeb) Sattar ◽  
Stephanie Wilkie ◽  
Jonathan Ling
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Realist Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Sheltered Housing ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Communal Areas ◽  
Physical Changes ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to explore residents' perceptions of a refurbishment programme to sheltered housing schemes and its impact on their well-being. Design/methodology/approach The methodology draws upon a realist evaluation framework. Four participatory appraisals (PAs) and 19 interviews with residents were conducted in the sheltered housing schemes. Ages of participants ranged from 50 to 99 years. Findings Two categories of residents were identified: healthy active older adults and older frail adults (or over 85+). Residents said their social and emotional well-being improved from the provision of indoor and outdoor communal areas. Older frail residents only accessed the new communal spaces when staff took them in their wheelchairs. The physical changes increased opportunities for social connections for residents. Conservatories and sensory gardens were most popular. Residents felt that structured activities in the new spaces and digital training would improve their social activities. Research limitations/implications The participatory methods spanned over an hour, and some residents felt too tired to complete the full session. Practical implications A practical limitation was that some sensory rooms were not fully completed at the time of the evaluation. Originality/value This paper adds the following: Perceptions of residents of a refurbishment programme in sheltered housing and the impact on their well-being. Perceptions of residents about social activities after a refurbishment programme. Perceptions of residents about the impact of physical changes to their sheltered housing schemes and impact on their internal accessibility to the improvements.

scholarly journals Quality improvement collaborative aiming for Proactive HEAlthcare of Older People in Care Homes (PEACH): a realist evaluation protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. e023287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reena Devi ◽  
Julienne Meyer ◽  
Jay Banerjee ◽  
Claire Goodman ◽  
John Raymond Fletcher Gladman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Older People ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Realist Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Quality Improvement Initiative ◽  
Quality Improvement Collaborative ◽  
Programme Theory ◽  
Health And Social Care

IntroductionThis protocol describes a study of a quality improvement collaborative (QIC) to support implementation and delivery of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in UK care homes. The QIC will be formed of health and social care professionals working in and with care homes and will be supported by clinical, quality improvement and research specialists. QIC participants will receive quality improvement training using the Model for Improvement. An appreciative approach to working with care homes will be encouraged through facilitated shared learning events, quality improvement coaching and assistance with project evaluation.Methods and analysisThe QIC will be delivered across a range of partnering organisations which plan, deliver and evaluate health services for care home residents in four local areas of one geographical region. A realist evaluation framework will be used to develop a programme theory informing how QICs are thought to work, for whom and in what ways when used to implement and deliver CGA in care homes. Data collection will involve participant observations of the QIC over 18 months, and interviews/focus groups with QIC participants to iteratively define, refine, test or refute the programme theory. Two researchers will analyse field notes, and interview/focus group transcripts, coding data using inductive and deductive analysis. The key findings and linked programme theory will be summarised as context-mechanism-outcome configurations describing what needs to be in place to use QICs to implement service improvements in care homes.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol was reviewed by the National Health Service Health Research Authority (London Bromley research ethics committee reference: 205840) and the University of Nottingham (reference: LT07092016) ethics committees. Both determined that the Proactive HEAlthcare of Older People in Care Homes study was a service and quality improvement initiative. Findings will be shared nationally and internationally through conference presentations, publication in peer-reviewed journals, a graphical illustration and a dissemination video.

scholarly journals Active learning of medical students in Taiwan: A realist evaluation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien-Da Huang ◽  
Hsu-Min Tseng ◽  
Chang-Chyi Jenq ◽  
Liang-Shiou Ou
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Realist Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Process Models

Abstract Background: Active learning is defined as any instructional method that engages students in the learning process. Cultural differences in learning patterns can play an important role in engagement with active learning. We aimed to examine process models of active learning to understand what works, for whom and why. Methods: Forty-eight sixth- and seventh-year medical students with experience of active learning methods were purposively selected to participate in ten group interviews. Interactions around active learning were analysed using a realist evaluation framework to unpack the ‘context-mechanism-outcome’ (CMO) configurations. Results: Three core CMO configurations, including cultural, training and individual domains, were identified. In the cultural context of a strong hierarchical culture, the mechanisms of fear prompted students to be silent (outcome) and dare not give their opinions. In the training context of teacher-student familiarity alongside teachers’ guidance, the mechanisms of learning motivation, self-regulation and enthusiasm were triggered, prompting positive learning outcomes and competencies (outcome). In the individual context of learning how to learn actively at an early stage within the medical learning environment, the mechanisms of internalisation, professional identity and stress resulted in recognising active learning and advanced preparation (outcomes). Conclusions: We identified three CMO configurations of Taiwanese medical students’ active learning. The connections among hierarchical culture, fear, teachers’ guidance, motivation, the medical environment and professional identity have been shown to affect the complex interactions of learning outcomes. Fear derived from a hierarchical culture is a concern as it is a significant and specific contextual factor, often sparking fear with negative outcomes.

scholarly journals The Stopit! programme to reduce bullying and undermining behaviour in hospitals

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 428-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Benmore ◽  
Steven Henderson ◽  
Joanna Mountfield ◽  
Brian Wink
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Realist Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Past Experiences ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Q Sort ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The impact of bullying and undermining behaviours on the National Health Service on costs, patient safety and retention of staff was well understood even before the Illing report, published in 2013, that reviewed the efficacy of training interventions designed to reduce bullying and harassment in the outputs. The purpose of this paper is to provide an example of a good programme well evaluated. Design/methodology/approach The methodology follows a broad realist approach, by specifying the underlying programme assumptions and intention of the designers. Three months after the event, Q-sort methodology was employed to group participants into one of three contexts – mechanism – output groups. Interviews were then undertaken with members of two of these groups, to evaluate how the programme had influenced each. Findings Q-sort identified a typology of three beneficiaries from the Stopit! workshops, characterised as professionals, colleagues and victims. Each group had acted upon different parts of the programme, depending chiefly upon their current and past experiences of bullying in hospitals. Research limitations/implications The paper demonstrates the effectiveness of using Q-sort method to identify relevant CMOs in a realist evaluation framework. Practical implications The paper considers the effectiveness of the programme to reduce bullying, rather than teach victims to cope, and how it may be strengthened based upon the research findings and Illing recommendations. Social implications Workplace bullying is invariably implicated in scandals concerning poor hospital practice, poor patient outcomes and staff illness. All too frequently, the sector responds by offering training in resilience, which though helpful, places the onus on the victim to cope rather than the employer to reduce or eliminate the practice. This paper documents and evaluates an attempt to change workplace practices to directly address bullying and undermining. Originality/value The paper describes a new programme broadly consistent with Illing report endorsements. Second, it illustrates a novel evaluation method that highlights rigorously the contexts, mechanisms and outcomes at the pilot stage of an intervention identifies contexts and mechanisms via factor analysis using Q-sort methodology.

scholarly journals Building resilient families: Developing family interventions for preventing adolescent depression and HIV in low resource settings

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Kuo ◽  
Ashleigh LoVette ◽  
Dan J. Stein ◽  
Lucie D. Cluver ◽  
Larry K. Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Adolescent Depression ◽  
Developmentally Appropriate ◽  
Family Intervention ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Family Interactions ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Family Approach ◽  
Family Meetings

Depression contributes significantly to the global burden of disease in low- and middle-income countries. In South Africa, individuals may be at elevated risk for depression due to HIV and AIDS, violence, and poverty. For adolescents, resilience-focused prevention strategies have the potential to reduce onset of depression. Involving families in promoting adolescent mental health is developmentally appropriate, but few existing interventions take a family approach to prevention of adolescent depression. We conducted a qualitative investigation from 2013–2015 to inform the development of a family intervention to prevent adolescent depression in South Africa among families infected or at risk for HIV. Using focus groups with adolescents and parents (eight groups, n = 57), and interviews (n = 25) with clinicians, researchers, and others providing mental health and related services, we identified context-specific factors related to risk for family depression, and explored family interactions around mental health more broadly as well as depression specifically. Findings indicate that HIV and poverty are important risk factors for depression. Future interventions must address linguistic complexities in describing and discussing depression, and engage with the social interpretations and meanings placed upon depression in the South African context, including bewitchment and deviations from prescribed social roles. Participants identified family meetings as a context-appropriate prevention strategy. Family meetings offer opportunities to practice family problem solving, involve other family members in communal parenting during periods of parental depression, and serve as forums for building Xhosa-specific interpretations of resilience. This study will guide the development of Our Family Our Future, a resilience-focused family intervention to prevent adolescent depression (ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT02432352).

scholarly journals An initial evaluation framework for the design and operational use of maritime STAMP-based safety management systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osiris A. Valdez Banda ◽  
Floris Goerlandt ◽  
Johanna Salokannel ◽  
Pieter H. A. J. M. van Gelder
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Realist Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Initial Evaluation ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Organizational Safety ◽  
Organizational Policies

Abstract A safety management system (SMS) is the common means used by organizations to assess organizational performance with respect to the safety and well-being of people, property and the natural ecosystem. A SMS provides confidence to diverse stakeholders that organizational safety is at an appropriate level and fulfils the applicable regulatory standards. As a multifaceted system for organizational safety assessment, ensurance and assurance, the evaluation of the design and operational use of SMS is a complex process. An evaluation needs to provide evidence about how well the design and operation of an SMS complies with applicable standards and how well the methods used in the SMS implementation support the organizational policies and practical work. In the maritime domain, SMS is broadly applied. However, there are few theoretically rooted SMS design approaches, and there is a lack of frameworks to evaluate how well the SMS is designed and how effectively it operates. This paper proposes an initial evaluation framework for the design and operational use of a maritime SMS design approach based on Systems-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP), realist evaluation and Bayesian Networks. This framework is applied for a case study of vessel traffic services (VTS) Finland to test its relevance and ability to guide the SMS design. The experiences gained in the case study, and the related discussion on the framework, can guide further research in this area. Ultimately, the work can be used as a basis for developing maritime SMS auditing processes, based on specific theoretical and methodological approaches.

Prisoners and their children: An innovative model of ‘whole family’ support

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Clancy ◽  
Mike Maguire
Keyword(s):  
Family Support ◽  
Emotional Stress ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The Core ◽  
Family Approach ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Innovative Model ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
The Impact

The article reports key findings from an evaluation of ‘Invisible Walls Wales’ (IWW), a multi-agency ‘through the gate’ project in HMP Parc, South Wales, based on an innovative model of ‘whole family’ support for prisoners, their children and partners. It provides an overview of previous research on the impact of parental imprisonment on children and families, including financial hardship, emotional stress and risks of ‘intergenerational offending’. It outlines the core elements of the IWW model and the substantial infrastructure of family support facilities in the prison on which it was built. It summarises outcomes of the project for fathers, partners and children, and gives examples of how IWW’s ‘whole family’ approach is influencing policy and practice elsewhere. Reoffending rates are not yet available, but are anticipated to be low. However, the key strength of the project, it is argued, lies in its emphasis on the ‘whole family’ as the main beneficiary, rather than focusing narrowly on rehabilitation of the father.

Emotions, Perceived Qualities, and Performance of Rugby Players

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina D’Urso ◽  
Andreina Petrosso ◽  
Claudio Robazza
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Performance Profiling ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Predicting Performance ◽  
Optimal Functioning ◽  
Emotion Model ◽  
External Events ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Rugby Players

This study was mainly designed to contrast the Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) emotion model and the performance profiling approach in predicting performance of rugby players based on normative, individualized, situational, and relatively stable characteristics. Pregame assessments were accomplished in 33 male Italian rugby players of a top-level team over a whole championship, and individual interviews were conducted at the end of the season. Performance differentiation and discrimination between athletes were reached on relatively stable qualities (i.e., constructs), according to predictions within the performance profile framework. Study findings also revealed that emotions modify widely during the game because of external events (e.g., behaviors of teammates or opponents) or individual behaviors (e.g., individual faults). In conclusion, findings add support to the contention that extending the IZOF model to other physical or performance related components would require situational rather than relatively stable qualities. On the other hand, the concept of zones extended to constructs seems beneficial for practical purposes.

scholarly journals Until We All Rise: Aspects of Traditional Muslim Burial Practices and Ceremonies in Tajikistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barakatullo Ashurov
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Ethnic Group ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
Burial Practices ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact

Islam, which spread out to Central Asia after its conquest by the Arab armies in early 8th century, has expanded and taken roots in the spiritual and everyday life of each ethnic group of the region in its own way. In its Central Asian geo-cultural contexts, similar to other regions where it came to be the faith of majority, it is more prone to integrated characteristics, including traditional ethnic beliefs and ritualistic elements. The study of Islam among other things in the context of local traditional rituals, particularly the funerary traditions and observances, which has also kept many cultural elements pre-existing the arrival of Islam, has profound meaning in many aspects; such as re-interpretation of the afterlife views and development of cycle of observances and ceremonies that are performed in the hope of earning merit on behalf of deceased and a hope for the day when all who died rise again. The focus of this paper is to present the funerary ritual cycle of Tajik Muslims. The limits of the contribution are set to Tajikistan; but also refer to corresponding and parallel ceremonies observed among the Tajiks living in other neighbouring countries. The impact of this contribution is both in its inventory of the literature on the topic but also on discussion of the importance of these rituals and how the communities feel about the reasons and performance of these ceremonies. The ceremonies that provide merit for both deceased and their kin award them with a sustaining hope that they all will rise and unite in the Last Day. The material for this contribution was collected through group and individual interviews of people from various regions of Tajikistan (April-September, 2014), personal observations and from previous studies on the topic. In what follows I will provide a short literature review on existing studies on funerary traditions of Tajik Muslims and also a descriptive compendium of all currently practiced cycles of funerary ceremonies.

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