Narrative Evaluation Action Research in Health Promotion

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• Narrative Evaluation Action Research in Health
  Promotion
• The NEAR Story So FAR
• in DHS NWMR REGION
• DHS Statewide Integrated Health Promotion
• Evaluation Forum
• 30th May 2005

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Dreams to Schemes DHS NWMR Making it possible

• The Narrative Evaluation
• Action Research Project (NEAR)
• Integrated Health Promotion Evaluation Capacity
  Building
• with CW Health Agencies
• Karen Goltz RHPO DHS NWMR, NEAR Project manager
  and collaborator

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NEAR Project context

• Primary Care sector funding reform
• DHS-OHP planning reporting
• Narrative Reach/satisfaction/impact/outcome
  measures
• Practitioners expressed need
• HP planning evaluation workforce dev
• Capacity building- key OHP priority

4
NEAR Project intention

• Build the capacity of CWH agencies
• Evaluate, review, develop, document report on
  OHP programming
• Application of narrative evaluation action
• research methods

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Integrating narrative evaluation action
research

• Illuminate HP programming practice through the
  creation of stories
• Embed within an action research spiral
• Facilitate HP program practice
• development by linking
• action/reflection/questioning/conclusion/option
  generation/new action

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Integrating methods

• Broader enquiry gaze
• Context sensitive
• Give voice to stakeholders
• Adjunct to statistical methods

Strengths
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Dreams

• How can we lead the systemic building of
  narrative evaluation capacity across the CWH
  sector ?

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Building Project Preconditions

• DHS Regional Organisational Capacity
• Leadership, advocacy, planning
• Fiscal resources
• Partnerships
• Evidence-based innovative design

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NEAR CAPACITY BUILDING MODEL

• Workforce development (in situ)
• Learning by doing
• Collective evaluation knowledge skills
  development
• Organisational development (in situ)
• Systematic cyclical evaluation, dev doc of HP
  programs
• Meet DHS planning and reporting requirements
• Internal evaluation training capacity
• Evaluation culture

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University Collaborators

• Dr Yoland Wadsworth
• Adj Prof Convenor Action Research Program,
  Institute for Social Research, Swinburne
  University of Technology 
• Gai Wilson
• Co-ordinator Centre for Development and
  Innovation in Health, Australian Institute for
  Primary Care, Faculty of Health Sciences,
  LaTrobe University 
• Dr Ani Wierenga
• Lecturer and Research Fellow, Australian
  Youth Research Centre, The University of
  Melbourne

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NEAR Project Design

• Design phases
• Phase 1-The NEAR Pilot (2003-4)
• Phase 2-The NEAR FAR trail (2004-5)
• Phase 3-Roll-out (2005-) ?

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Phase 1 NEAR Pilot

• Objectives
• Develop HP narrative and action research
• program evaluation practices processes
• Produce Train the trainer toolkit/manual
• Produce IHP narrative evaluation case-studies
• Facilitate critical reflection on implementation

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Phase 1 EOI selection process

• Preconditions
• Management support
• Line manager/practitioner work group
• Staff release
• OHPP Capacity building priority
• HP priority/program for trial evaluation
• Supporting rationale

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Phase 1 pilot agencies

• Western Region Health Centre
• ISIS Primary Care

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NEAR Manual

• (DRAFT)
• Writing narrative action evaluation
• reports in health promotion
• guidelines, resource kit and case-studies
• by
• Wadsworth Y , Wierenga A, Wilson G, (2004)
• http//www.health.vic.gov.au/healthpromotion
• /hp_practice/eval_dissem.htm

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Phase 2 The Near to Far Trial

• Redesign considerations
• NEAR Pilot phase findings
• OHP planning reporting requirements
• Regional amalgamation

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Phase 2

• Objectives
• Trial /review/develop NEAR manual (final version)
• Trial pilot agency practitioners as peer
  trainers/consultants
• Develop HP narrative and action research program
  evaluation practices processes within selected
  other organizational settings
• Develop organisational/catchment IHP evaluation
  case studies

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Phase 2Trial Options

• 1. The peer trainer/consultant trial
• (pilot agencies)
• 2. Organisational workforce dev
• peer trainer/consultant dev trial
• (new agencies)
• 3. Self-trial of resource materials.

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Phase 2 EOI Process

• Preconditions for selection
• Management support
• Line manager/practitioner work group engagement
• Staff release
• Commitment to building OHP organizational
  capacity
• OHP/Catchment HP priority/program for trial
  evaluation identified
• Commitment to catchment partnership
• - Supporting rationale

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University Collaborators making in possible

• NEAR Phases 12
• Creation and trial of the NEAR
• evaluation workforce development processes and
  resources.
• Dr Yoland Wadsworth

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Practitioners making it possible

• Phase 1
• Pilot agency experiences
• Jaime Timmerman
• Western Region Health Centre

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Practitioners making it possible

• Phase 2
• Pilot agency experiences
• Keryn McNaught
• ISIS Primary Care

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Phase 3

• Where to from here ?

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• Thank you