Live & Learn, Inc., a peer-run research organization in the United States, conducted a Phase I SBIR project to understand the program evaluation needs of CBOs, and technical specifications for Elevate, Evaluate. This report details the findings from a survey and interviews with CBO representatives from across the US. We asked 44 CBOs across 21 states about their current experiences, competencies, and needs around program evaluation, as well as their interest in using a product such as Elevate, Evaluate.
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The paper describes how peer interviewers were recruited, hired, trained, and supervised. The authors discuss some benefits and challenges associated with the approach. Peer interviewer benefits and challenges: the shared lived experience between the peer interviewers and study participants contributed to increased comfort and a high response rate overall. The study opened up professional opportunities for peers, but inconsistent work hours were a challenge and resulted in turnover and difficulty filling vacant positions. The lead evaluator and supervisors worked closely with peer interviewers to ensure conflict of interest was mitigated to reduce bias.
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Two research companies, Live & Learn Inc. and Human Services Research Institute, worked with HOPE (Helping Our Peers Emerge) staff to conduct an evaluation to understand and report the impact of the HOPE program on participants, in addition to Whole Person Pilot-required data. HOPE is a peer-run program in San Mateo, California. HOPE supports Peer Participants in transition from psychiatric hospitalization to community integration through Peer Mentoring, Family Partnership, and Supportive Employment Coordination. It was created as a Whole Person Pilot program under California's Medicaid Section 1115 waiver.
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In this webinar, presenter Morgan Pelot will discuss the research on the effectiveness of peer respites and the evidence supporting them. Presenter Sae Kim will discuss a practical application of this literature at the Monarch House, a peer respite in Wisconsin. Sae will also cover how peer respites are responding to COVID-19 and how these crisis services are valuable during this time of quarantine.
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The Guidebook for Peer Support Program Self-Evaluation: Practical Steps and Tools can be used to document program operations and outcomes, and to build evidence for the efficacy of peer support programs. In a world of limited resources, conducting evaluations can be a challenge. We created this guidebook in response to frequent requests from peer-run organizations for practical, low-cost, or no-cost tools they could use to evaluate their programs. We have included recommendations on best practices in self-evaluation and data monitoring based on techniques used by other peer support organizations and in the world of program evaluation. It provides basic, practical guidance on developing a logic model, identifying outcomes, selecting measures/ indicators, collecting and analyzing data, and reporting findings.
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