Program Planning and Evaluation

Program planning is the starting blue prints or structure of a new program or even used to improve a program already in place. Program planning involves research, making goals, setting up objectives in order to meet goals and gathering information. Program planning also includes information about the budget such as how much it will cost in order to provide the services intended by the program. Program planning tells us what the problem is, who the program targeted population is, where are the targeted population demographically located, and why there is a problem. Program planning involves a lot of thought and information collected by the staff and where available the clients as well. Program planning determines what obstacles the program may encounter along the way and plans to work around the obstacles. Program planning should be done carefully and thoroughly because as a blue print for a program we would like the finishing product to be very well built and organized with a great finished product. Program evaluation is the ongoing collection of data which the staff of the program can take into consideration when making changes for necessary improvements or for future planning of the program. Program evaluations show the staff the strong points of the program they may wish to leave alone and also the weak points of the program they may need to make stronger. Program evaluation is important because it helps to keep the program running smoothly in order to meet their goals and provide sufficient services to the community and clients that the program serves. Program planning and program evaluations work together in order to make a program effective and efficient. Program planning does not stop just because a program is up and running since there will always be changes that need to be made as the program grows and needs to meet the demands of more clients and becomes a bigger part of the community it serves. Therefore program evaluations continue to help keep the program planning on a proper level and help the staff make decisions needed in order to meet demands and still plan goals and objectives successfully. The scenario I have chosen to work with this year is the PEACE Domestic Violence Agency. I believe that both program planning and program evaluation interrelate in this scenario because there is a growing problem with violence in the city of Portland and without action it will probably become worse. There needs to be a program in place in order to give any means of help to the community that can be offered and that will require program planning. The continuous changes of needs, and the need to ensure effectiveness is going to require the implementation of program evaluations in order to help measure the success and continue make the success rates higher. The technical aspects of program planning should consist of inputs to outputs that would in turn provide the community the social justice needed. I believe that the technical aspects are to make a crisis hotline available which would provide 24 hour access to a staff member who can help. I believe that there should be qualified counselors staffed within the program in order to help the individual to identify needs and also to obtain protection orders if necessary. I think that having a shelter or an affiliated shelter would be helpful because some clients are going to need a place to stay and receive a chance at a fresh start through transitional housing. Further I believe that technical aspects would be to also get some community awareness started about violence and ways to prevent it. This can be a fun community activity during which individuals learn to look out for one another instead of hurting one another or turning the other way while someone else is hurt. On the other hand there needs to be rehabilitation for the individuals who act violently. Enabling them to lead a better life and teaching them to protect others instead of causing harm. Aspects that can affect the program planning and evaluation process are that there might be some people still too afraid to come forward and fight for the changes that benefit them. They might have their doubts that the program will work because the violence rates are so high and so many people have failed to fully help them. A person who has been a victim might be inclined to move on but become victim again. A person hurting others may be inclined to feel there is no need for them to get help. The way these aspects can affect the program planning and program evaluation are because they are obstacles that would prevent the program from becoming successful and promoting a better outcome for individuals and the community. In order to prevent hindering the program we have to find other ways to get through and rebuttal the situations. Political aspect of the program planning and evaluation would be to ask for harder punishment for those who are on the violent side of the fence. I would also ask for more police involvement in the community and if needed be the hiring of more police authority in the area to help in lowering the amount of time it takes to get to a situation involving violence. I would ask for education about violence to be implemented through school systems and jail or prison facilities to raise the possibility of positive changes. I would ask for cameras to be placed at stop lights and in other areas where road rage was the worst in order to help in providing proper apprehending of drivers who have a problem. These aspects could affect planning and evaluation of the program because political authorities might not feel there is enough violence to take action. It also could affect the planning and evaluation because the political authorities might not have the funds to provide the help needed. The political authorities might agree to the needs but on lesser terms. This would mean that in order to have success rates we are looking for we need to find other ways to get the help needed.