Evaluation of Social Innovation: Assessment and Planning in the Field of Social and Legal Protection of Children Using Outcomes Star^TM

Sona Kalenda

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: The aim is to describe the evaluation methodology and to present the partial results of the impact assessments of the implemented social innovation evaluation and planning using the Outcomes Star^TM tool in the field of the social and legal protection of children in the Czech Republic. THEORETICAL BASE: The planning and evaluation of the child’s life situation and level of endangerment is an integral part of the applied approaches and methods of social work focused on the social and legal protection of children. METHODS: The evaluation is based on a case study using the triangulation of data and methods to increase the validity of the acquired knowledge. OUTCOMES: The results of the evaluation of the introduced social innovation show that it is an effective tool clearly usable for the children mentioned in Section 6, Act No. 359/1999 Coll., On the Social and Legal Protection of Children. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: Evaluation and planning using Outcomes Star^TM in the social and legal protection of children based on its Czech (adapted) version provide social workers with a new innovative tool that seems necessary for the holistic consideration of the endangerment of these children and for determining realistic goals that can be internalized by the clients.

Keywords:

social and legal protection of children, individual planning, Outcomes StarTM

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