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Outcome Measurement & Evaluation
LIFT is an outcomes-oriented organization. We conduct extensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of all of our programs through the collection of quantitative and qualitative data to: (1) ensure our ongoing ability to provide mission-driven, high-quality services; (2) plan for future programmatic innovation; and (3) report accurate and timely information to our supporters in order to keep them informed about LIFT’s programs. Broadly stated, LIFT’s evaluation seeks to answer two questions: who are we serving; and how well are we serving them? (Click here to skip to the results.)
Who are we Serving?
Serving nearly 55,000 court-involved families each year throughout our
programs is a significant responsibility, one that LIFT takes very seriously.
In order to continuously provide responsive services, information, and
referrals, LIFT creates a confidential (i.e. no names are collected) “case
file” for each person served at our court-based Education &
Information Sites and on our Legal Information Hotline. Each captures
demographic data (gender, age, race/ethnicity, zip code of primary residence,
language spoken) and whether the person has an attorney. Those variables
are cross-referenced with the type of legal question the person has posed
(e.g. child custody, orders of protection), as well as whether and what
type of referral was made. This provides quantitative information which
can be cross referenced to answer questions such as:
What are the most common legal issues presented by grandparents at our Bronx Family Court EI Site?
From which neighborhoods are we serving the most people from?
The answers to these questions inform program planning, staff training, and are also invaluable to policy makers and stakeholders interested in learning more about who is court-involved.
In addition, at the EI Sites, staff also record the number and type of legal resource guides distributed which helps LIFT measure our inventory – which includes LIFT’s 25 original legal resource guides as well as materials from a wide-range of our partners, both community-based organizations and public agencies.
To ensure that data is being collected with the greatest ease and highest efficiency, LIFT replaced paper and clipboards at our EI Sties with PC Tablets in 2007. Site Coordinators now enter data directly into the Tablet and remotely migrate the data into our in-house database. This advancement has enabled LIFT to reallocate the previously enormous amount of time being used for data entry in-house, and helped conserve resources by negating the need for paper, photocopies, and postage that were being used before the PC Tablets.
How Well are We
Doing?
To measure whether LIFT’s programs enhance access to justice on
behalf of children and families – specifically, whether those we
serve are better able to represent themselves in Family Court or know
what the next step will be in their case - LIFT distributes a voluntary
client satisfaction survey (in both English and Spanish) at the Family
and Criminal Court EI Sites. Staff also keep weekly journals at the Sites,
recording anecdotal evidence, which further measures the impact of our
services. To enhance our understanding of whether LIFT’s services
are helpful, we are also conducting a longitudinal analysis of Hotline
callers.
On all Hotline calls, staff collect the same information that is collected
for the case files at the EI Sites as described above. Additionally, staff
record the length of each call and how the caller learned about the Hotline.
Each caller is asked to rate the helpfulness of the call from one (least
helpful) to five (most helpful). If the caller agrees to participate in
the longitudinal evaluation, the Hotline Associate asks a number of additional
baseline questions seeking to gauge the Hotline’s services in terms
of the caller's ability to understand his or her issues better, what to
do next, etc. A different Associate follows up with the caller six-weeks
later and then three months after that. These time frames generally comport
with the average length of time a case takes in Family Court (seven months).
At all of LIFT’s community education programs we distribute pre- and post-surveys to measure the effectiveness of our presentations and whether the workshop participants attained the goals of that particular session – typically, the acquisition of information and a greater understanding of a family law topic. If LIFT distributes materials during the presentation, we also evaluate the helpfulness and readability of those materials. With similar goals, we distribute pre- and post-surveys at our Family Court Judge for a Day Program, the outcomes of which have enhanced that unique experience.
Ultimately, data collected throughout LIFT enables us to continually improve our programs. For example, we create and analyze monthly reports from the data collected at the EI Sites and on the Hotline. These reports help to ensure that our EI Sites have materials that respond to the needs of our target population, and that all staff have the training and information they need to provide high-quality services.
What
are LIFT’s Results?
The quantitative and qualitative data LIFT collects demonstrate the importance
of our one-of-a-kind programs, the diversity of those we serve, and the
high satisfaction ratings we consistently receive from those who rely
upon those programs and services.
Click here to access a 2007 Year-in-Review report on our EI Sites in the New York City Family Courts.
Click here to access a 2007 Year-in-Review report on our Legal Information Hotline.
Click here to access a 2007 Year-in-Review report on the Brooklyn Criminal Court EI Site.
Click here to access our 2007 Annual Report, which is an overview of all of LIFT's progress in 2007.
Click here to review the results of our longitudinal survey on the Hotline.
Click here to review the results of a recent Legal Education Program.
Click here to review the results of our Judge for a Day Program evaluation.
[Last updated on August 12, 2008]
