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Hello. I am not very familiar with the services of Integrated Family Centers (IFSCs), but I do hope I can learn more about it. Could anyone kindly give me more information about it?

Following the previous question, our team wants to develop a program evaluation of the services provided by Integrated Family Services. Could anyone please also tell me how to use the EPIC model to make an evaluation plan? Thanks!

May I further ask if there’s a practical model for evaluation planning? It would be great if we could find a framework to guide us to develop an evaluation plan?

I need help… Could anyone kindly give me more information about evaluation planning? It is urgent… We are going to evaluate the childcare services of NGOs in Hong Kong. What should we do to prepare for the evaluation?

Hi, there. I’m confused about the concept “context”. Could anyone please explain to me why we should pay attention to the context before implementing the program evaluation?

Hello. We are conducting a program evaluation on the effectiveness of the Mutual Help Child Care Centre on their service recipients. Could anyone please help me with finding their fee-charging schedules?

Hello! Could anyone kindly give me a clue about the procedure for applying for the Neighborhood Support Child Care Project?

May I ask whether the childcare services of SWD would provide both care and education?

Hello. Does anyone know how many cases are there in Integrated Family Service Centers? We plan to compare the service provisions between centers operated by non-governmental organizations and SWD. Thanks!

Hi! I hope to conduct a program evaluation for single parents who get help from the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA). Could anyone kindly give me a clue about the latest figure in 2019?

Hello. I’ve learned that there are 65 Integrated Family Service Centers (IFSCs) and two Integrated Services Centers (ISCs) in Hong Kong. Is it true that they only provide institution-based supportive services to help families in need?

May I further ask a question about the “Consultancy Study on the Long-term Development of Child Care Services”? I wonder what the evaluative methods it has adopted. Is it the objectives-oriented approach?

Hello! I am very interested in childcare services in Hong Kong. I wonder whether there is any program evaluation of the services in this field. It would be so helpful if I can find one to further study.

Hello! I am very interested in childcare services in Hong Kong. I wonder whether there is any program evaluation of the services in this field. It would be so helpful if I can find one to further ...

Hello, friend. We are trying to design an evaluation of the “Pilot Scheme on Social Work Service for Pre-primary Institutions”. However, I am not very familiar with the pilot scheme and am particularly interested in its differences from the services provided by other childcare programs. Could anyone please help me with that?

Hi, there! I get to know that SWD has developed various childcare service programs to provide support for parents, which mostly are based on community and educational institutions. May I know if there are any childcare programs conducted by social work?

Hi, I have heard that SWD commissioned the University of Hong Kong to conduct a consultancy study on childcare services in 2018. Could anyone give me a clue about the data collection methods used in that study?

Hi, I have heard that SWD commissioned the University of Hong Kong to conduct a consultancy study on childcare services in 2018. Could anyone give me a clue about the data collection methods used ...

May I know how much a service recipient should pay for joining the Neighborhood Support Child Care Project?

Following my prior question, would you please elaborate a bit more about the childcare services in Hong Kong? I hope to know more details!

Hi, everyone. I wonder have you noticed that there has been a lot of discussion about childbearing policy in Mainland China recently. Some people complain that it’s too difficult to cope with parenting stress, even with the looser birth policy. Hence, if we want to compare Hong Kong with Mainland China, could anyone give me a clue about any available family services for such young parents in Hong Kong?

Hello. Could anyone please tell me how much service recipients should pay for the SCSC services?

I work for an organization that provides services for children who have been harmed or maltreated by their families, but I realize my skills are not enough to fulfill my job responsibilities. Could anyone please tell me where I can find more training services?

Following the previous inquiry, there is also another similar term: co-parenting. Could anyone please kindly help me to distinguish it from co-parenting? I am so confused.

Hi! Our project is developing brief research on parenthood in Hong Kong. When searching for existing reports, I found out an interesting term called “shared parenting”. Could anyone please help me understand this new term?

Hi. I want to prepare myself for an evaluation of SCSC services for divorced parents. Could anyone kindly tell me where I can access the detailed information about SCSC?

Could anyone kindly give me a clue about the application procedure of SCSCs services? Our center plans to examine the effectiveness of SCSCs with a logic model.

Following the previous question, could anyone please elaborate a bit more about the services provided by SCSCs?

Hi. I have learned that the crude divorce rate of Hong Kong in 2019 is 2.8 per 1000 population. More importantly, it has been rising for the past three years. May I ask what organizations would provide services for divorced people and their children?

Hello. I found out that some single mothers in the community have not applied for CSSA because they worry about the application fee is too expensive. I wonder whether the CSSA application is charged?

May I also know how to conduct the investigation on families with child custody disputes?

Hello, friend. May I know if minority ethnic families apply for the FCPSUs?

May I further ask about the multidisciplinary approach of FCPSUs? We want to compare the effectiveness of different approaches adopted in family service programs. It might provide some insights for future service design.

Hi. Our team plans to use the logic model to evaluate the effectiveness of FCPSUs. May I ask what activities this program might provide?

Hello, friend. I’ve learned about the logic model, but I am still not quite clear about the term “inputs”, I know it is a critical concept in the logic model. Could anyone please give me some examples to understand?

Hello, friend. I’ve learned about the logic model, but I am still not quite clear about the term "inputs", I know it is a critical concept in the logic model. Could anyone please give me some exam ...

Hi, there! I’ve heard about the Family and Child Protective Services Units (FCPSUs) in HK. May I ask what kind of services that the families can get from CSSA?

Hello. We have evaluated the family aide service programs provided by NGOs and found that some programs were not effective. I wonder if it is necessary to further explore whether the failure is an implementation failure or a theory failure in the program?

Hello. I am very curious about the logic model. Could anyone kindly introduce some information to me? I have no idea about how to adapt it into the design of a program evaluation.

Would anyone kindly give me a clue about how to get access to the family aide services?

Hello. We are doing brief research about the family aide services in Hong Kong. I’m wondering if it is true that families with special needs can get help from SWD?

Hi, we are considering designing an evaluation of family services in Hong Kong. As a program evaluation is expected to provide advice on improving the service delivery, do you think the objectives-oriented evaluation approach is a good choice?

Hello. I have followed the OCOP discussion for a while, and I noticed there are lots of posts on the Discrepancy Evaluation Model and the objectives-oriented evaluation approach. However, I failed to distinguish these two terms…Could anyone please help me with that?

Hi, my colleague suggests using the Discrepancy Evaluation Model in our evaluation of family services in Hong Kong. Could anyone kindly give me a clue about this definition? Thanks!

Following the previous question, could anyone explain to me the basic steps to conduct an objectives-oriented evaluation? It may help me to better understand! Thanks!

Could anyone please give me a clue about the objectives-oriented program evaluation method? I find the concept is very confusing.

Following my previous post, may I further ask what charitable fund can provide assistance for families who are receiving Comprehensive Social Security Allowance (CSSA)?

Hi, our organization is providing services for families with financial problems in Hong Kong. May I ask if they can apply for assistance from any charitable funds?

Besides the Integrated Services Team for Street Sleepers, I wonder if there are any other organizations providing services for street sleepers in HK? Could anyone please kindly tell me more?

I heard that there are integrated services for street sleepers in Hong Kong. Could anyone please tell me how to get access to these services?

Following the previous question, could anyone please elaborate a bit more about the input or activities are taken by the Integrated Services Team for Street Sleepers?

We plan to use the objectives-oriented evaluation approach to assess the services for street sleepers in Hong Kong. Would you please help me to give me a clue about the goals of the Integrated Services Team for Street Sleepers?

Could anyone please help me to compare the hotline service provided by social workers of SWD and HOST for Hong Kong families? I hope to make sense of why there is such a big difference in the number of service users.

May I ask how many people received counseling services through the Hotline Service in 2020?

I’m writing a proposal about family services in a new era. May I ask you to briefly introduce the key family service programs in Hong Kong in recent years?

Hello. Could anyone kindly give me a clue about the services provided by the Short-term Food Assistance Service Team? We hope to know who are its target group.

Following the previous question, I’ve heard that quite a lot of families may call for help when necessary. Could anyone elaborate more about the hotline service for families in Hong Kong?

Hi! We plan to evaluate the impacts of family service in Hong Kong. I hope to ask; can we use the objectives-oriented evaluation approach? Thanks!

Following the previous question, FCSC stated that 90.1% of the service users indicated a positive response in overcoming their immediate crisis upon leaving the FCSC. Do you think it’s necessary to design an evaluation of their service effectiveness?

Could anyone please tell me how to conduct the evaluation of the FCSC service? I am not sure about who should be involved as participants. It may involve so many stakeholders.

OK. Many thanks for your previous reply! Our team is planning a program evaluation on the effectiveness of the family crisis service. Therefore, I wonder if you could let me know more about related services in Hong Kong, such as the Family Crisis Support Center?

Hello. I understand that clarifying the purpose of services is very important to evaluate the service efficiently. Hence, I wonder could anyone kindly explain to me the purpose of family, and child welfare services in Hong Kong?

Thanks to the MEL courses and everyone’s sharing, I’ve learned so much about program evaluation! One puzzling question for me is that as there are so many different models for evaluation, how could the evaluators decide to choose? Hence, may I ask what factors should be taken into consideration when I plan a program evaluation?

Hi, I’ve heard that the empowerment model of program evaluation is preferred by some evaluators for their collaboration with stakeholders of the program. Could anyone kindly give me a clue about its weaknesses?

Hello. Some of my colleagues suggest that we could use the theory-based model in our program evaluation. But I don’t know this model very much. Could anyone kindly give me a clue about the strengths and weaknesses of this model?

Hi. We plan to survey elderly carer support services. Could anyone kindly let me know more about the carer support service provided by SWD in HK?

Hello. I am very interested in the objective-based model. I wonder if anyone can kindly tell me when the goals of the program or the organization differ from the general agreement on goals in the field, how the evaluators following this model can handle the evaluation?

Hello. I am very interested in the objective-based model. I wonder if anyone can kindly tell me when the goals of the program or the organization differ from the general agreement on goals in the ...

Regarding how to choose evaluation models, I wonder why some evaluators prefer the Black Box model. It seems too simple, doesn’t it?

Following the previous question, could anyone kindly give me a clue about the way that the evaluators collaborate with the stakeholders of the program?

Following the previous question, I find that some people comment that the empowerment model is better than the theory-based model and the objectives-based model, is that true?

Hello. Our organization is developing an evaluation of our services for migrated families in Hong Kong. Could anyone please give me some advice on how to decide the evaluation models? We try to focus more on the impact and effectiveness of the interaction between service users and service providers.

Could anyone kindly give me a clue about the theory-based model? I don’t know how different it is from the objective-based model.

Could anyone kindly tell me which model I can choose if I want to evaluate a program on its achievement of stated goals?

Hello. Our team wants to focus only on the outcomes rather than the inputs or activities of a social service program. Do you think it’s a good idea to use the Black Box model in our case? I heard that this model is very simple and easy to be followed. Could anyone kindly give me some comments?

Hi, could anyone kindly give me a clue about the program evaluation models? I just wonder if some models are better than others? We always need to find a good model for the evaluation.

Hi, I’ve learned so much from the MEL online courses. And I hope one day I could conduct a program evaluation myself. Hence, may I ask generally, who can initiate an evaluation of a program?

Our organization is conducting a program sponsored by the government, and program auditors examining the program to verify the effectiveness of our service. In such a case, I wonder if our team still needs further evaluations on the program.

Hello. Could anyone kindly give me a clue about where we can get the sampling frame? It seems impossible for a frontline worker to assess one in our daily work.

Following my prior question, may I also ask about the differences between program evaluation and the individual assessments made by psychologists and personnel workers? They look very similar as well!

Hello. I have never participated in any evaluation work before. I’ve read some evaluation reports and found them to be like research papers. It is very confusing to me as I failed to identify the difference between program evaluation and basic research. May I ask if they are the same thing?

Hi. Still, I am very curious I know if if internal evaluators and external evaluators can work together in one program evaluation? As the internal evaluators may be less objective while the external evaluators may be less trusted.

Another question… Regarding our previous discussion, I wonder if I could say that external and internal evaluators are more appropriate for different forms of evaluations? For example, it may be easier for internal evaluators to perform a formative evaluation.

The topic of comparing external and internal evaluators is so interesting! May I ask which quality is more important to an evaluator? Being objective or being trusted? Based on the previous discussion, it sounds like those external evaluators are more likely to be objective while less likely to be trusted.

Following my previous post, could you further comprehensively explain the advantages of external evaluators? Since more evaluations are conducted by evaluators outside the organizations.

It’s said that the evaluators can be clarified into internal and external evaluators according to their relations with the organizations asking for evaluation services. It seems that external evaluators often are professionals from university or academic institutions. Could anyone kindly give me a clue about the advantages of internal evaluators for the evaluation?

I understand that program evaluation can provide feedback for sponsors to decide whether the program should be started, continued, or chosen from two or more alternatives. I wonder if the project will be terminated when the evaluation results are not good

I understand that program evaluation can provide feedback for sponsors to decide whether the program should be started, continued, or chosen from two or more alternatives. I wonder if the project ...

Hello, friend! May I ask if there’s a sequential order of the evaluation elements, including needs assessment, process examination, and the measurement of outcome, impact, and cost? And is it recommended for an evaluator to follow this order?

Hello. I found that it’s often for the government to support several similar programs, that is, providing very similar services to the same target group, such as the services for the victims of domestic violence. May I ask, in such context, should evaluators compare the effectiveness of different similar programs for a better understanding?

Could anyone kindly let me know the differences or similarities between “outcomes” and “impacts” in program evaluation? In my understanding, the impacts are classifiable as outcomes as well, is that right?

Hello. Could anyone kindly give me a clue about the evaluation of the process? I heard that there are many different approaches to process evaluation, but I am not very familiar with this concept.

Hello. We are planning to evaluate the qualifications of social workers in the Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services. May I ask about its admission and training system?

I am totally unfamiliar with program evaluation, but our center hopes to further develop our service based on the results of the needs assessment of the targeted older adults. Hence, I wonder if anyone could kindly give me some suggestions to prepare myself for it?

Regarding the qualification of outreaching teams for ethnic minorities, I wonder if the non-refoulment claimants could also apply for the services as well?

Hello. May I further ask what the services usually are, provided by the outreaching teams to ethnic minorities in Hong Kong?

Hi, friend. We are planning a program evaluation on the service effects provided by the outreaching teams for ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. Could anyone please help me to figure out what the service goals of these teams are?

Hi. Now I understand that the improvement focus is important in any kind of evaluation, but I still hope to know more about it. For example, is there any difference between formative evaluation and summative evaluation? It seems that the formative evaluation should put more emphasis on improvement focus to improve the program, is that true?

Hi, I don’t get the concept “improvement focus”. Others told me that it is one of the general areas that program evaluators need to consider. Could anyone kindly help me with its meaning?

May I further ask why evaluators should learn about all stakeholders before evaluation? It seems quite unrealistic to understand everyone’s intention.

I understand that service providers should be involved in the program evaluation, but they might give answers based on their own thoughts, which could be quite different from service users. Hence, I wonder if their subjective answers would affect the objectivity of our program evaluation?

Do you think the online survey is a good idea to collect data from grandparents? Given the prohibition on group gathering policy during the epidemic, we plan to send out the evaluation questionnaire through Internet, to avoid face-to-face contact.

Hello. Our organization is preparing for an evaluation of the Project on Child Care Training for Grandparents in Hong Kong. As you may be aware that in most families of China, grandparents are taking care of children, instead of young parents. And they are very likely to meet lots of challenges in getting updated childcare knowledge and skills. Could anyone kindly give me a clue about who could be included as the participants of our evaluation?

I have heard about the upcoming International Conference on ‘Program Evaluation and Social Impact Assessment’. It sounds very helpful for me to get a deep understanding of how to conduct a program evaluation independently. I just wonder where I could get the access?

Following my previous post, if I conduct my evaluation, do you think it is acceptable if I refer to the questionnaire which has already been used in previous studies by other evaluators?

Hi friend! I plan to carry out a program evaluation related to social work services in schools. Do you think I can conduct this survey by using the questionnaire?

Following the previous post, I wonder if there are any effects of the monitoring results on an evaluation.

Hi, I am a frontline social worker. I am confused about the distinction between evaluation and monitoring. Could anyone kindly help me with it?

Hi, I wonder how to illustrate the effectiveness of the social work program? Could anyone kindly give me any clue?

Hi, friend! Where can I find the scale of the positive development of youth? It would be great if it is a Cantonese version. I want to add it to my program evaluation.

Hi, friend! Could you help me with how to make a convincing analysis and judgment in the program evaluation?

Following the previous question, according to your suggestion, does it mean that I need to pay more attention to the logic of the evaluation model? Right?

Hi friend! I need to construct an analytic framework for the evaluation of our program concerning poverty. But I totally have no clue about how to start… I wonder if anyone could give me some advice?

Following the previous post, could you please give me some references on the criterion-population design directly?

Hi, I get one question about how to design an evaluation scientifically for our program. In fact, our team has already collected the participants’ information. However, we found it particularly difficult to recruit participants for the control group. I wonder if there are any alternatives?

Hello, friend in OCOP. I will appreciate it if anyone can provide me with some references about how to assessi the commitment of recipients in the community!

Following my previous post, frankly speaking, I feel it could be extremely difficult for our center to adopt the causal approach to a service evaluation… I am sorry. And could you kindly recommend me some other ways?

Following my previous post, frankly speaking, I feel it could be extremely difficult for our center to adopt the causal approach to a service evaluation... I am sorry. And could you kindly recomme ...

Following the previous post, I wonder in which situation I could use the causal approach of program evaluation.

Hi, friend. I need help! I have heard about the term “causal approach” in an introduction of the program evaluation. But it has confused me for a long time. Could anyone kindly give me more information about it?

Following my previous post, I wonder if anyone could kindly give me a clue about the phase of “structuring” in detail? It sounds so structural… I couldn’t understand it from the term itself.

Hi, friend! I want to design an evaluation for our service and hope I might conduct it very soon! But I am not sure what phases are necessary for the whole process. Would anyone kindly give me a hand?

Hello. Could anyone help me identify the purpose of conducting a program evaluation?

Following the previous post, could you please kindly tell me more information about the recommended scale on self-efficiency?

Hi, I am trying to assess the social support of my participants before and after receiving our service. I am aware that it is very important for us to adopt a validated scale. And thus, I wonder if anyone could recommend one for us? Thank you so much!

Thank you very much for your previous reply about the cost-benefit analysis. I have tried to google it. And I wonder if you may happen to know some practical guidelines for evaluators? Since I failed to find one, maybe because of the wrong keywords I used to search? I have no idea…

Hi, I am very interested in how to analyze economic efficiency in a program evaluation. It is not an easy task for a frontline social worker. I wonder if anyone could give me a clue about it?

I wonder if anyone could help me find some references about problem behavior among adolescents in Hong Kong.

Following the previous post, then how about the definition of efficiency and effectiveness? Could you give a brief introduction to these two terms?

Following the prior post, I wonder if there are any other issues that I need to pay attention to?

Following my previous post, I still find it difficult to identify the difference between utility and sustainability in the program evaluation. I wonder if anyone could kindly help me with it?

Hello. Could anyone give me a clue about specific issues in the evaluation of public expenditure programs?

Hi friend! I am very confused about why evaluators need to conduct the mid-term evaluation…I wonder if anyone could give me a hand?

Hi friend! I am very confused about why evaluators need to conduct the mid-term evaluation...I wonder if anyone could give me a hand?

Dear friend, I plan to conduct a survey about the work motivation of service recipients in the community. I wonder if anyone could help me find some valid scales for it?

Thank you for your previous reply about the identity. I wonder if you mind providing me with the reference related to the mentioned topic. I want to learn more and find more details.

Following the previous post, could you give me more details about the domains of identity?

Dear friend, I plan to conduct a survey about the assessment of identity among adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage in Hong Kong. Could anyone kindly give me a clue about how many dimensions I need to consider?

Hello. Would anyone kindly tell me where I can get access to the poverty situation of Hong Kong in recent years?

Hi, I plan to collect data to evaluate a program concerning the effectiveness of single mothers in poverty receiving help from workfare. I would be grateful if anyone could tell me what needs to be paid more attention to in this process.

Following the previous post, do you mind giving me some related references?

Following the previous post, could you please elaborate more on the relationship between body composition and academic performance of children in the previous studies?

Hi everyone, I am confused about the children’s body composition. Could anyone help?

Hi everyone. What is physical activity? Our evaluation among children needs to make the meaning of this term.

Thanks for your reference and information in the previous posts. I have learned a lot, but the correlation analysis confuses me in the evaluation. Could you please recommend the software?

Hi everyone. I just wonder if you could recommend some related reference on Tomporowski in this topic?

Following the previous post, could you please share with me the previous framework of children’s physical fitness and academic achievement? I want to ensure I think ahead before its implementation in my evaluation project.

Following the previous post, I am a beginner in this field. Could you please recommend the reference you mentioned to me?

Hello. I am trying to identify the relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement among children. Could you please kindly give me a hand?

Hi everyone! I just wonder if I want to search for some references about the evaluation of children’s physical fitness and academic performance. Are. Are there any key words you recommend?

Hi everyone! I just wonder if I want to search for some references about the evaluation of children's physical fitness and academic performance. Are. Are there any key words you recommend?

Hi, friend! Our interview with disabled children is limited due to the COVID pandemic. Are there any alternative methods?

Following the previous post, I want to adopt this theoretical framework in our evaluation project among children. Could you please share the reference?

Following my previous post, I found in the previous studies that social learning theory provides with a powerful framework to analyze the relationship between internet use and school climate, but I want to know more about the details. Could you please give me a hand?

Following my previous post, I found in the previous studies that social learning theory provides with a powerful framework to analyze the relationship between internet use and school climate, but ...

Following my previous post, is there any reference on stage-environment fit theory? It is vital to our evaluation.

Hello. Following our previous discussion about school climate, I am more curious about the relationship between school climate and adolescent Internet use. Is there any theoretical background?

Following the previous post, what is the school climate?

How should I understand the importance of school climate on adolescents’ development?

Following the previous post, could you please share some references related to the influence of problematic internet use on adolescents?

Following the previous post, I just wonder if there are any other influences of problematic internet use on adolescents.

Following the previous post, I found it is really impressive! However, I am confused about it. What is problematic internet use?

Hi, friend! Could you give me more information about internet use of children? I want to know more about it to help our evaluation.

Following the previous post, could you please recommend some other references related to the evaluation of children well-being under the framework of bioecological theory?

Following your previous reply, how should we understand this framework cross-culturally to help our evaluation among children?

Following your previous reply, could you please explain the implications of bioecological theory ion child well-being?

Following your previous reply, I have another question. Would you mind telling more me about the mesosystem of children with migrant parents?

I have learned that based on bioecological theory, migrant children and left-behind children’s well-being is a result of multi-level ecological systems. However, I just wonder if you could give me a clue about the relationship between the microsystem of migrant and left-behind children and their wellbeing.

I try to learn more about the relationship between family poverty and child performance. However, it is new for me. Could you give me some references?

Hi there. I just heard that child deprivation is related to childnre’s mental health of children. Would you please elaborate more about it?

Following the previous post, are there any things that we have to pay attention to in the interview process in our evaluation? I want to think ahead.

14th February, 2023

I am curious about applying MEL

Just want to know how can I apply

Hi, friend! I am a beginner in evaluation practice. I plan to conduct interviews with disabled people in our evaluation. Could you please give me some advice on preparing for the interview? Are there any interview checklists?

Hi, friend!. I am trying to search for The Perceived Stress Scale. Could you please kindly give me a hand? Is there anyone available for me, to your knowledge?

Following the previous post, I am still curious about the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Would you mind sharing more examples? For example, what is the most common combination of methods?

Following my previous post, I wonder if you can further give me some implications about combining qualitative and quantitative methods.

Hi, friend! In the process of evaluation design, I plan to adopt interview to help our evaluation of poverty program, but I think that we need more empirical data to support our conclusion. Would you please kindly give me more advice?

Hi, friend! In the process of evaluation design, I plan to adopt interview to help our evaluation of poverty program, but I think that we need more empirical data to support our conclusion. Would ...

Hello. Following our previous discussion about searching for the measurement of satisfaction with life, could you please elaborate more on this scale?

Hi there. Where could I find the scale of satisfaction with life? Is there any reference?

Following the previous post, is there any software helping us to code and manage our qualitative data in our evaluation project among the poor elders?

Following the previous post, I want to add more details about long-term care to help evaluate of our project. Could you share us the reference?

Hi, friend! Our team plan to evaluate the resilience among elders in poor families using content analysis. I just wonder if there are any references could help. I need you help!

Following the previous post, I am curious about the other sub-theories of self-destination. Could you please help me clarify organismic integration sub-theory?

Following the previous post, I just wonder how should I make the meaning of cognitive evaluation sub-theory?

Hi, friend! Following the previous post, are there any sub-theories of self-determination theory?

Following the last post, are there any other alternative theories related to motivation?

Following the previous post, could you please give me a clue about self-determination theory?

Hi firend! I just wonder if anyone could share some references on self-destination theory. I want to use it in my evaluation of cancer patients.

Following the previous post, how about the macrosystem? Is it in the outermost level?

Following previous post, to tell the truth, it is still confusing. How about the exo-system of disadvantaged children?

Following the previous post, then how about the mesosystem?

Following the previous post, I have further questions about their ecosystem of disadvantaged children. How should I understand their microsystems?

Following the previous post, is there anyone who can give me a clue about subsystems of disadvantaged children?

Hi, friend! Following the last post, could you please share some references about bioecological theory?

Following the previous post, could anyone help me identify bioecological theory?

I just wonder if there are any theories could help explain the interactions of disadvantaged children with others.

I see discussions about program output and impact. May I ask if the number of participants completing the community program is considered output or impact?

After our volunteer training programs, many CSSA recipients showed an intention to join voluntary work in the community. Is that a kind of program output or impact?

Following the previous post, would you mind offering me the reference related to the mentioned topic? I want to learn more and find more details.

Dear friend, I just wonder how I can access the official child poverty rate in Hong Kong.

Following the previous post, could you give me more details about family poverty? Are there any recommended references?

Following the previous post, how about the measurement of the presence of meaning?

Hi, following the previous post, I am confused about the distinction between sources of meaning and meaningfulness. Are they different?

Hi, MEL! Could you please give more information about the scale of self-esteem? I want to use it in our evaluation of the community program.

Hi MEL! I intend to conduct a program evaluation of Social Work Services in communities. I just wonder if I can conduct this survey by using the questionnaire?

Following the previous post, are there any other things that I have to pay attention to in the evaluation of the program about the disabled?

Hi, friends! We intend to collect data to analyze community employment. Could you please tell us about something we should pay more attention to?

I want to evaluate the sources of the meaning of our clients. Are there any references?

Dear friend, I just learned from previous research that families with higher income are more likely to invest more in their children. I just wonder if there are any theoretical models to support it.

Following the previous post, are there any subscales in the SOMP-R?

I want to add more details about the sense of meaningfulness in our evaluation. Could you please share some references?

Following the last post, would you mind telling me more about the analytical framework?

Hi, could you please help me clarify the sense of meaningfulness?

Following the previous post, I just wonder if you could help me clarify utility and sustainability in the evaluation. I am so confused. Please help!

Hi, friend! Could you please tell me more about the important issues in evaluating social welfare programs especially about poverty?

How should I make the meaning of heterogeneous social networks?

I find a full version and a short version of measuring social integration. Which version shall I choose?

Following the previous post, could you please share me some references about these two kinds of social capital?

How should I understand the relevance in the poverty program evaluation?

Hi, friend! I intend to learn more about the general poverty situation in Hong Kong. Could you please share with some access?

Hi friend, I am a beginner in the community program evaluation. Now I plan to conduct an evaluation of program about the disabled. Where should I start?

Following the previous post, could you please share some related references?

I will appreciate it if you can provide me with some references on deprivation!

May I ask what sampling method is suitable for the group of street sleepers?

Following the previous post, is there any reference?

Hi, what does exclusion mean in the context of public and community space?

We are targeting street sleepers in the community. Can we use random sampling for this group?

I wonder whether there are any references on social capital in community development? I need more help!

Hi, following the previous post, I have another question about homogeneous networks. I am so confused about it.

The Lung Yeuk Tau community in New Territory is famous for its long history. What kind of community development is suitable?

Hi, how can I find secondary data about rural communities in Mainland China?

Hi, I wonder, is it possible to use participant observation to collect data about a mutual-help group?

Hello, how can I test the associations between the sense of community and depression in SPSS?

I need help! I want to know more about the Sources of Meaning Profile (SOMP). Could you please describe it?

Hi, following the last post, I have one question about the deprivation. Could you please help us clarify the child deprivation?

Following the previous post, could you please give me some references on child deprivation in Hong Kong?

Dear all, I will appreciate it if you could tell me about the differences between bridging social capital and bonding social capital.

Following the previous post, how should I make the comprehensive meaning of family poverty?

Following the previous post, I just wonder if the deprivation is a part or a form of family poverty.

Social integration is one of the cores of community development services. But we cannot observe social integration directly. What could we do?

Could you please tell me the advantages of using secondary data?

The urban poverty issue is quite striking in Hong Kong. When we cite the Gini coefficients from some reports, is it a way of using secondary data?

To get feedback on the Lung Yeuk Tau cultural tour, can we invite the participants to leave their contacts and names for further communication?

Our center focuses on the social participation of CSSA recipients. We newly developed volunteering workshops for their community involvement. Where can we put the recruitment post to attract more participants?

Our center focuses on the social participation of CSSA recipients. We newly developed volunteering workshops for their community involvement. Where can we put the recruitment post to attract more ...

Can I record the zoom conversations with clients?

During the lockdown, home visits to community members are not as convenient as before. Do you have suggestions for that?

Could you please recommend some loneliness scales?

We recently launched a senior companion program in our community. We would train some healthy elderly living in the community to visit live-alone elders. How can we measure the effectiveness of this program?

Could you please list the advantages of recruiting volunteers in the local community?

In my budget for the poverty alleviation program, administrative spending (e.g., wages) has a big proportion. How can I reduce it?

Shall I write a budget in the proposal to design poverty alleviation programs?

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated challenges and created urgent needs for low-income households. How could community development services respond to such needs?

Hi, I wonder whether it is appropriate to use an online survey in temporary housing areas.

May I ask what kind of deprived communities there are in Hong Kong?

How can I choose the target group when measuring the community’s sense of belonging?

I designed a questionnaire about the sense of belonging in the community. Nevertheless, many participants chose “not applicable” in their answers. How could it be?

Hi, when I use the interviewer-conducting survey, will participants give socially-expected answers?

Some of my community program participants could not administrate questionnaires on their own. Could you help me with the issue?

Can we use telephone calls to spread public news, apart from posting on billboards?

Much information about COVID-19 is updated online, which could miss out on elderly groups in the community. Would you please advise on it?

Suppose we want to know the general public’s opinion about compulsory vaccination. Can we use mail surveys and telephone surveys spontaneously?

May I ask about the advantage of using a mixed-mode survey in community development?

Shall we select CTCs with similar geographic locations and manpower to minimize the effect of confounding factors?

Could you please give an example of confounding factors in assessing CTCs’ functionality?

I want to explore what factors associated with CTCs will influence people’s willingness to test viruses. Shall I select some CTCs and monitor the data?

Hello, under the current pandemic situation, is there any new working orientation for community development?

Do you agree that programs have not been adequately evaluated until costs have also been considered?

I found qualitative evaluation much more time-consuming than quantitative. Also, it takes more human resources to carry out. Do you think so?

Your earlier response inspires me to think about our societal view towards persons with disabilities. The problem lies not in the persons with disabilities but the environment.

I heard the term “philosophical assumptions” in evaluation methods. I hope to know if I plan to use the qualitative method in a program about intellectually disabled people, what is the philosophical assumption behind it?

I heard the term "philosophical assumptions" in evaluation methods. I hope to know if I plan to use the qualitative method in a program about intellectually disabled people, what is the philosophi ...

Following the previous post, are there any good strategies to ensure my interviews are carried out smoothly?

I am a bit discouraged because of my interviews with persons with disabilities. It seems they do not want to open themselves to me. What can I do?

By the way, if I hope to evaluate a parent group of autistic children, do you think non-participant observations are a good choice?

Could you please tell me more about the observational methods in qualitative program evaluations?

Following the previous post, could you please recommend a reference book? I suppose it may help.

Unlike quantitative designs, I found that a case study does not have a delineated method. Then what can I do if I want to use the case study to examine the life satisfaction of persons with disabilities?

Suppose I want to study how an NGO advocates human rights for persons with disabilities. Can I define the organization as a case?

Another question about the case study is, shall I select a person, a couple, or an organization to study persons with disabilities?

Following the previous post, in a case study, what kind of research questions can I raise with a qualitative approach?

The sexual needs of persons with disabilities are a social taboo in Hong Kong. I want to explore this topic. Would you please help me with which research design is suitable? Qualitative or quantitative?

Could you please elaborate on the term triangulation? Use an example from the field of disabilities?

May I ask more about the purpose of using mixed methods?

Can I use both quantitative and qualitative methods in the research designs?

I hope to hear the inner voices of persons with physical disabilities in Hong Kong. Then, shall I use the quantitative or qualitative method?

Hi Dr. MEL, I found there is no Chinese version of the scale of caregiving self-efficacy, which has been validated in the Hong Kong population. Therefore, what should I do? Shall I translate the items by myself when applying?

For persons with developmental disabilities, I understand that family support is critical. Therefore, to support those family members, our agency plans to design a program to increase caregiving efficacy. Could you please recommend a reliable scale of caregivers’ efficacy?

According to the website of Fu Hong Society, I found that they have launched a pilot program for deaf people. Is it a good practice to conduct a pilot study before formally launching a new program?

Hello, I am very interested in social services for persons with disabilities. I am from the mainland and hope to know some local NGOs in Hong Kong that specialized in serving persons with disabilities. Could you please recommend one?

Following previous post, do you have the website for the Life Enrichment Program for the Elderly with Disabilities?

Dear Dr. MEL, I am searching for an arts program for the elderly with disabilities. Could you please advise me?

Following the previous post, the longitudinal design sounds not friendly with the beginner. Can I use the existing data from the Arts Accessibility Program for persons with disabilities instead?

Since 2011, Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong (ADA) has set up an all-rounded arts accessibility service program. If I hope to track the program impacts over the past years, shall I use a longitudinal design?

Hello, I plan to compare the mean scores’ difference between the participants in the preliminary and medium-level courses about sign language. What kind of t-test shall I use?

Dear Dr. MEL, if I want to measure participants’ satisfaction with sign language training, can I ask the respondents about their names and contact information?

Besides, following the previous question, could the human resources of teaching sign languages be considered as input in the logic model?

Based on the Hong Kong Society for the Deaf website, there are training courses for sign language, and the preliminary level course consists of ten lectures. From the view of the logic model, could these ten lectures be considered activities of the program?

Following the previous post, is there any other suggestion for multi-stage clustered random sampling?

Barrier-free facilities in estates, markets, and other public places are important for persons with disabilities. The government and HA’s retrofitting program was largely completed in 2014. I plan to conduct a population-based survey about the program’s impact. Do you think multi-stage clustered random sampling is appropriate?

Currently, only 0.5% of taxis in Hong Kong are wheelchair accessible. I also found the percentage is 58% in London and 12.1% in Sydney. I want to see if the three figures are statistically different. What kind of statistical analysis shall I perform?

As I am searching the background information about the transportation situation in Hong Kong, I also refer to statistics in London and Sydney. Is it a way of using secondary data?

Following the previous post, if I compare two of the MTR stations in New Territories, are they called comparison groups?

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has some programs advocating barrier-free access in public transportation. I hope to record the changes in the number of persons on wheels using MTR. Then, can I use a longitudinal design?

Suppose I collect data with questionnaires for all taxi drivers in Hong Kong about their views towards passengers with disabilities. Is it a kind of sampling?

The Disability Discrimination Ordinance (DDO) prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. If I try to interview the taxi drivers about their experiences of transporting persons with disabilities, is it a qualitative approach?

I learned from the previous post that the surveying method must fit the characteristics of persons with disabilities. Would you give me some practical tips for online surveys among blind and visually impaired people?

Can I use the telephone to conduct a survey among people with disabilities? To collect data?

After completing the cross-sectional survey, if I find that social discrimination and PWDs’ confidence level are associated, can I conclude that social discrimination leads to PWDs’ low confidence?

I hope to do research to describe the public about their views towards persons with disabilities (PWDs). Can I use a cross-sectional survey as my method?

Could you recommend an organization that would help me to understand the daily life of visually impaired persons? Like I can personally experience it?

Dear Dr. MEL, I am a social work student from Hong Kong Baptist University. As I am working on a course project, I need to find some information about people with visual impairment in Hong Kong. Could you please give me some advice?

Dear Dr. Mel, I wonder for persons with intellectual disabilities, do we need to get their informed consent in a survey?

12th November, 2022

I have seen the discussion of research and evaluation in the previous posts. Still, I wonder what the criteria are to judge the adequacy of an evaluation?

12th November, 2022

Could you please give me examples of conducting research on people with disabilities and evaluating a program about people with disabilities?

I am learning the topic “research design” from the MEL website. It seems conducting an evaluation is like doing research. Do they differ in the purpose?

I am learning the topic "research design" from the MEL website. It seems conducting an evaluation is like doing research. Do they differ in the purpose?

Following the previous post, suppose a new program targeting people with disabilities is on a pilot. Will the program evaluation help the social worker to decide whether to continue it or cease it?

Hi, Dr. Mel. I am watching online materials on the MEL website, and I found the theme “program evaluations” is kept repeating, unlike our daily practice. Could you please kindly tell me the purpose of the program evaluation?

Hi, Dr. Mel. I am watching online materials on the MEL website, and I found the theme "program evaluations" is kept repeating, unlike our daily practice. Could you please kindly tell me the purpos ...

Dear Dr. Mel, may I ask ff there is any special technology used to deliver anti-drug services amid the COVID-19 pandemic in HK?

Hi Dr. MEL, could you please briefly provide me with some information about the anti-drug policy on Cannabis abuse in HK?

Dear Dr. MEL, we are considering using some secondary data for our evaluation of drug treatment services in Hong Kong. Could you please kindly introduce the admission statistics of various drug treatment and rehabilitation services in 2020?

Hi, Dr. MEL, could you please tell me something about the Drug Liaison Committee?

I have noticed there are various policies and services related to anti-drug. May I ask about the role of the Narcotics Division? Does it manage all the anti-drug services?

Following the prior post, may I also ask the duty of the ACAN Sub-committee on Treatment and Rehabilitation? As we are collecting information about the stakeholders of ACAN services for a simple survey.

Hello, Dr. MEL. May I ask about the job responsibilities of the ACAN Sub-committee on Preventive Education and Publicity?

Following the previous post, may I ask if you have some resources to help me with the sample size calculation?

Dear Dr. Mel, we are developing an evaluation program on the operation of the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN). I am not sure about the sample size we need to conduct the survey. Could you please tell me if it is better to have a big sample size?

Dear MEL, could you please tell me if we can control effect size when conducting program evaluation, like controlling for other social background information?

According to our evaluation results, which is about the anti-drug services conducted by small NGOs and community-based organizations, we found that some small-scaled anti-drug groups and institutions had difficulty in getting enough materials. May I ask how they can get anti-drug publications or exhibition materials in HK?

Hello, Dr. MEL, I would like to get the brochure of Project ADSF of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups for further measurement of its performance. Could you please help with this?

Dear Dr. Mel, may I also ask what kinds of anti-drug programs are supported by BDF now?

We are commissioned to conduct monitoring on the implementation of the Beat Drug Fund. May I ask how it fundraises money currently?

Dear Dr. Mel, could you please tell me where I can find more information and resources about the anti-drug policies of ND?

We would like to learn more about the experiences of the volunteer group of ND. Dear Dr. MEL, could you please also introduce the services provided by the anti-drug volunteer group currently?

Following the previous post, I get another question. Our institution is considering developing a voluntary service team to help with drug rehabilitation services. May I ask about how applicants can apply to be volunteers in this field currently?

As a social worker in the field of drug rehabilitation services, I find that society needs more professional knowledge. May I ask if there are support or services for social workers or teachers, to enhance their related knowledge?

Based on our evaluation of the services for drug abusers, we found that the drug problems not only imposed negative effects on the abusers, but also on their whole families. May I ask if there are services or resources of ND for parents as well?

9th November, 2022

Dear Dr. Mel, following the previous post, could you please share your opinions on the strategic directions of ND for 2021-2023?

9th November, 2022

I’ve heard of the three-year plan on drug treatment and rehabilitation services. I want to find more useful information from this plan for our evaluation program on drug services in Hong Kong. Could you please help me?

27th October, 2022

Following the previous question, may I ask where to find the detailed information about the 11 Counseling Centers for Psychotropic Substance Abusers?

27th October, 2022

Could you please tell me where people could find services for psychotropic substance abusers in HK?

May I ask about the channel for the public to report drug-abusing? Is there a telephone number that people can use if they find someone using drugs, for example?

We are evaluating the effectiveness of the drug rehabilitation service. Could you please help me with some statistical terms in the evaluation? I do not know clearly about the definition of effect size.

May I know how a drug abuser who wants to get residential treatment can voluntarily find the most suitable service project in HK? I want to collect more information to help with the evaluation of the accessibility of such services. Thanks!

May I know how a drug abuser who wants to get residential treatment can voluntarily find the most suitable service project in HK? I want to collect more information to help with the evaluation of ...

Dear Dr. MEL, I want to confirm how methadone is used to deal with drug dependence in HK. Could you please help me with it?

May I ask who is suitable for the compulsory placement program of the Correctional Services Department?

Dear DR. MEL, could you please tell me more about the multi-modality approach of drug treatment and rehabilitation in HK?

Hi, Dr. MEL. Our institution is commissioned to evaluate the impact of educational anti-drug activities on ND for the public. I have learned about some evaluation methods from the MEL courses but forget the details to run them in a real project. For example, could you please tell me what to consider when determining the sample size?

Hi, Dr. MEL. Our institution is commissioned to evaluate the impact of educational anti-drug activities on ND for the public. I have learned about some evaluation methods from the MEL courses but ...

May I ask how many NGOs are involved in the anti-drug education program of ND?

Dear Dr. MEL, could you please tell me more about the Anti-drug Education Program organized by the Narcotics Division?

Hi, Dr. MEL. I have learned about program evaluation from MEL courses. May I ask a question about the evaluation methods? I want to know the meaning of using statistical testing in evaluation. Do we have to use statistics?

Hi, Dr. MEL. I have learned about program evaluation from MEL courses. May I ask a question about the evaluation methods? I want to know the meaning of using statistical testing in evaluation. Do ...

Dear MEL, following the previous post, may I ask about the outputs of ND’s drug abuse services? Thanks!

Hi, Dr. MEL. Could I ask who the stakeholders are of the social service program? For example, I wonder which department oversees the drug treatment services in Hong Kong.

Hi, Dr. MEL, may I also ask for more statistical information about the Residential Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Services of SWD? As I am collecting the information for the survey mentioned above.

Hi, Dr. MEL. I’ve heard a lot about the medical treatment services for drug abusers in Hong Kong. May I ask about the non-medical treatment or rehabilitation service? As we are trying to do a brief survey on the comparison of the effectiveness of these two different services for drug abusers.

May I ask where to find the nearest CCPSA in HK?

Hi, Dr. MEL, could you please help me with the information preparation? We are trying to collect more data regarding the services of the Counseling Center for Psychotropic Substance Abusers (CCPSA)?

Dear Mel, would you please kindly tell me where to find information about the Residential Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation project in HK?

I am interested in the Residential Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation project. Could you please tell me more information about its services?

Hi Dr. Mel, may I ask how to apply for the CDC services?

Could you please introduce the services of the Center for Drug Counseling?

Following the previous post, may I ask about the difference between performance measurement and program evaluation? They sound like me!

Hi, I am confused about the difference between the terms of performance measurement, monitoring, and program evaluation. Could you please help me with that? For example, if I want to provide feedback for service providers for improving the program implementation, which one should I choose, the measurement, monitoring, or evaluation?

May I ask how much service users should pay for TMCJH?

I heard that the TWCJH services are provided within institutions. Could you please tell me if service users can still get connected to the community or social activities?

Dear Mel, could you please help me confirm that if families or parents can visit children or juveniles when they are under TMCJH?

Following the previous post, may I also ask what services are provided by TMCJH?

Could you please introduce the target groups of TMCJH? I wonder if all maladjusted children/juveniles and young offenders can get this service.

I am working for the Tuen Mun Children and Juvenile Home (TMCJH) of SWD currently. May I ask if I can take part in the evaluation of the services provided by our institution?

Dear Dr. MEL, thanks a lot for your information about YOAP. I wonder if you could kindly tell me how to get further information about YOAP?

Could you please tell me how to access YOAP services? I am trying to collect information for the activities and outputs of YOAP.

May I ask about the services of YOAP? As we are developing an evaluation program on the impact of services provided by YOAP.

Following the last post, may I also know more about the target groups of YOAP?

Hi, Dr. Mel, could you please kindly tell me more about the Young Offender Assessment Panel of SWD?

Dr. MEL, hello. May I ask about the difference between program measurement and monitoring? They look quite similar. I am really confused!

Hi Dr. MEL, I’ve learned lots of knowledge about monitoring from the MEL courses. Could you please introduce what the target group of monitoring might involve? For example, are professionals like judges or psychiatrists the target group of monitoring on the services provided by the Post-Release Supervision Board?

Hello, Dr. MEL, would you please introduce the services for discharge prisoners in the Post-Release Supervision of Prisoners Scheme?

May I ask about who the target groups are of the Post-Release Supervision of Prisoners Scheme?

Dear Dr. Mel, could you please tell me more about the post-release supervision of prisoners scheme?

May I ask where to find information about the training application of SRACP?

Dear Dr. Mel, would you kindly give me more information about performance measurement? I have learned that the measurement aims to provide feedback to make the program more transparent to the stakeholders and thus increase their support for the program. But I wonder what if the feedback is negative? Would it be harmful to the program?

Following the previous question, could you please give me a clue about the specific services of the training center of SRACP?

Hi Dr. Mel, may I ask about the training services for institutions or individuals who are working in offender rehabilitation or crime prevention of SRACP? As we are trying to collect data from the service provides about their operations to adjust the program implementation.

We are thinking about the withdrawal procedure of a program. Could you please tell me about the meaning of putting the results of our evaluation into the project as the new input?

May I ask about the performance measurement? I hope to know more about it. Does the measurement aim at providing information for staff who work for the program?

Hi, Mel! I heard that the CLAP@JC project would provide services for young ex-offenders. Could you please introduce those employment services?

For the procedure of application and withdrawal of the So Uk Project, could you please elaborate a bit more for me? As I am collecting information for preparing the program evaluation.

Hi, Dr. Mel, may I also ask how much residents of the So Uk should pay for the housing?

Would you please introduce other social services besides housing for applicants of the So Uk Project?

It’s said that ex-offenders can apply for the So Uk Project. Could you please kindly explain more about the target groups of this project?

Could you please give me a clue about what kinds of professionals are included in the So Uk Project?

May I ask who the proprietor is of the So Uk Project?

I’ve heard of the So Uk Project before. Could you please elaborate a bit more on this project?

Could you please tell me more about the procedure of application and withdrawal of SRACP volunteers?

Following the prior post, may I ask if service users pay for the volunteer service of SRACP?

When evaluating the voluntary services of SRACP, we found that some service users also act as volunteers in SRACP services. May I ask about the advantages of such an arrangement?

Could you please give me a clue about what the volunteers of SRACP should do to get themselves prepared?

Hi, Dr. MEL. Our institution is commissioned to evaluate the voluntary services of SRACP. May I ask if we can also include some staff who are working for SRACP in the evaluation process to get more reliable information?

Hi Mel, could you please tell me where to find more information about the Mock Trial project? Thanks!

Following the previous post, may I also ask about who the target groups are in the Mock Trial project?

Dear Dr. Mel, may I ask about the Mock Trial project?

Following the previous post, could you please kindly tell me how to apply for these services of SRACP?

I’ve also heard about the TeenGuard Valley crime prevention education center of SRACP. Could you please introduce the services?

Dear Mel, I am collecting information for our evaluation of the CECPS service. I wonder if you can help me to get access to more information. Thanks!

Hi, Dr. Mel, it is me again! May I further ask about the application and withdrawal procedure of CECPS?

Following the previous post, may I also ask about the activities in community service of CECPS?

Hi, Dr. Mel, We want to develop an evaluation program on different means used by the school-based program of CECPS. Could you please help to introduce the services of this program?

May I ask about the target group of the community education and crime prevention service of SRACP? I wonder if youngsters are the major target group.

Dear Dr. Mel, would you please tell me more about the community education of SRACP?

Following the previous question, we have searched the MEL Outcome Indicator Bank and found that some scales have reverse-scored items. Could you please give us some advice on the calculation of the scores of such scale?

Hi. Our institution is preparing for the evaluation on the services of Bright Services Company Limited (BS). Could you please give us some advice on methods? We do not know how to select an appropriate scale.

I would like to collect more information for preparing our survey on the impact of the employment assistance services of SRACP. Dear Dr. Mel, could you please help me with that?

Hi, Dr. Mel, I wonder what services or schemes ex-offenders could apply if they want to develop employment skills or get vocational training?

21st August, 2022

Could you please give me a clue about how potential service users apply for the service of BBJC?

20th August, 2022

Our institution is developing an evaluation program on SRACP, but we found it is difficult to find appropriate outcome indicators. We are trying to do the program evaluation, and it would be better if we could demonstrate our social impacts. Could you give us some advice about how to find some appropriate scales?

Following the previous question, could you please also introduce a bit more about the specific projects included in the employment service for ex-offenders by SRACP?

Would you also please tell me where to collect further information about the occupational therapy service?

Could you please give us a clue about how service users apply for the occupational therapy service of SRACP? As we want to evaluate the convenience for applicants to get access to this service.

Hi. May I ask about the reverse-scored items in scales? Would all scales have such items?

Could you please give me some advice on our evaluation program on ISC? It is about the services for children of inmates? We have different opinions on the scales used to collect data from children. Some of us prefer the dichotomous scales. And they claim it is more appropriate. I want to know what your suggestion may be.

Dear Dr. Mel, may I ask how much that service users should pay for the clinical psychology service of SRACP?

Again, following the previous questions, how can I know which scale is appropriate? For example, for our evaluation on SRACP, I want to choose the scales that suit the service users most. Could you help me with this problem?

Following the previous question, could you also please help me get access to the indicator bank? I do not know clearly about the procedures.

Dear Dr. Mel, would you please kindly tell me more about the residential service for young probationers and high-risk youth?

Could you please tell me more about the requirements for applicants of the residential service for young probationers and high-risk youth?

Hi, Dr. Mel, we are trying to evaluate the residential service for young probationers and high-risk youth. Can we use the extended case method?

Following the prior post, could you please also give me a clue about who can apply for the SRA services?

Dear Dr. Mel, could you please introduce the Short-term Rental Assistance [SRA] for Newly Discharged Prisoners?

Dear Dr. Mel, may I ask about the outputs of the accommodation service from SRACP? We are preparing information to evaluate the effectiveness of this project.

Following the previous question, may I also ask about the sampling method? Can I use convenience sampling to select the participants for this survey?

Hi, Dr. MEL. I am doing a simple survey about a project for elderly arrestees. Do you think the online survey is a good idea to collect data? As it may be difficult to approach our potential participants under the Covid-19.

Under the Covid-19, some of my colleagues are worried about the difficulties of evaluation implementation. Can we adopt the online survey to collect data for the evaluation?

Following the previous question, could you please elaborate a bit more about the BBJC services provided for children whose parents are arrested?

May I ask about the requirements for the target group of ISC regarding services for children of inmates?

Dr. MEL, may I ask about the service access strategy of ISC? How can people in need apply for the ISC services?

Hi, Dr. MEL. We are developing an evaluation program on the pre-release services in Hong Kong. I want to know what we should do if some randomly selected participants have problems in understanding our evaluation? Can we just let them answer the questions without using informed consent?

According to the principle of justice when NGO practitioners try to conduct a program evaluation, we must ensure that all participants of Project Hope have equal chances to be selected to express their viewpoints. Is it right?

According to the principle of justice when NGO practitioners try to conduct a program evaluation, we must ensure that all participants of Project Hope have equal chances to be selected to express ...

Would you please help me with the information preparation for an evaluation on Project Hope? I want to know where to find more detailed information.

Could you please also tell me how people could apply for pre-release preparation services?

Hi, Dr. Mel, may I also ask about the pre-release preparation service in HK? Could you please kindly provide me with more information about it?

Could you please kindly give me a clue about the access strategy of Project Hope? I want to know how elderly arrestees apply for this project.

Hi, Dr. Mel, may I ask another question about the services in Project Hope for elderly arrestees? As we are developing an evaluation program on the effectiveness of Project Hope, I hope to know if we can select elderly arrestees to evaluate to obtain a positive result of the project?

Following the previous question, may I also ask what kind of support family members of the elderly arrestees can get from Project Hope?

As the service provider should be based on the needs of target groups, may I ask if SRACP has specific services for elderly arrestees in HK?

Dear Dr. Mel, could you please give me a clue about where I can find more information on the court social service? Is it on the website of SRACP?

Dear Dr. MEL, may I ask another question about the court services of SRACP? I want to know more about its exit procedures. If the service users want to withdraw from the court social work service, what should they do? Do they have the right to self-determination?

Hi, Dr. Mel, I am interested in the inputs of the SRACP services. May I ask how much people should pay for the court social work services of SRACP?

Could you please help me to distinguish the short- and long-term outcomes of the logic model? I am still so confused! Maybe you take the court service of SRACP as an example, to help me understand,

Hi Dr. MEL. I have another question about the court service of SRACP. I am very interested in the access strategy of this service. Could you please tell me how arrestees or their families can get support from court social workers?

Hi Dr. MEL. I have another question about the court service of SRACP. I am very interested in the access strategy of this service. Could you please tell me how arrestees or their families can get ...

Could you please tell me more about the court social work service in SRACP service?

Hi, Dr. MEL. I want to apply the logic model in the evaluation of the crime prevention service provided by SRACP. In that case, I wonder the services of SRACP are activities or outcomes?

Hi Dr. Mel, May I ask about the target group of SRACP? I wonder if it only provides service for es-offenders.

Hi Dr. MEL. May I know more about the SRACP?

Hi Dr. Mel, I am working for the community education and crime prevention service program currently. Could you please tell me who should be included as participants if I want to do a simple survey on the effectiveness of service provision in community-based rehabilitation services in HK?

Dear Dr. Mel, may I ask about the employment services for ex-offenders in HK?

Dear Dr. Mel, could you please give me a clue about the services for ex-offenders and discharged prisoners in community-based Rehabilitation services in HK?

May I ask where to find information about the community service orders office?

May I ask if I can use the case study to evaluate the impact of the CSO scheme?

Dear Dr. Mel, may I know more about the nature of CSO service in HK? I wonder who will help offenders to reintegrate into the community.

Based on our survey about people’s attitudes towards offenders, we found that some people may worry about the negative effect of the arrangement of probation services. Would you please share your opinions about this question? I wonder if the CSO counts as constructive disposal in HK.

Thanks to the courses of MEL, I have learned more about program evaluation. However, I am still not very clear about the ethics of evaluators for their coworkers. Could you please introduce the specific requirements?

Could you please elaborate a bit more on how CSO can contribute to offenders’ rehabilitation?

Thank you so much for your previous suggestion about using a strong comparison group design, when randomized designs are not feasible. Could you please give me a practical approach to make it happen?

Hey, I guess randomized designs are not feasible in our hospital. Could you please give us some suggestions under the current situation?

Hello. Our team is very interested in adopting the staggered randomized or stepped wedge design, could you give us more practical tips?

Hi there. I want to ask a question about measuring performance based on biased samples of patients. It is said to be one controversy in disease management evaluation. Could you please kindly elaborate more for me?

Hi everyone! I am so sad… It seems my service is not helpful for my patients… The results of the quantitative analysis show that the changes of my clients I observed during the program are not true. What should I do…

Hi everyone! I am so sad... It seems my service is not helpful for my patients... The results of the quantitative analysis show that the changes of my clients I observed during the program are not ...

Hi there. For my service, the one concerning patients’ self-management of their chronic conditions, could you give me some advice for setting the goal for evaluation at different time points?

Hi there. For my service, the one concerning patients' self-management of their chronic conditions, could you give me some advice for setting the goal for evaluation at different time points?

Hi there. I have read a recent review of disease management program indicators. It is said that in a substantial portion of studies, the indicators used did not conceptually link to the aims of the program as described in the articles. Do you have any suggestions for NGO staff in face of such a situation?

Hi, friend! Following the previous question, could you please also give me an example? Maybe I can learn the details myself.

Hi there. As stakeholders generally are interested in financial outcomes, could you please kindly give me more information about how to evaluate the cost in the hospital setting?

Hi everyone. Could you also give me an example of the limitation of employing utilization as an evaluation criterion?

I now partly understand why my supervisor has suggested include utilization as an evaluation criterion of my support program for patients. However, I am still confusing about it. In fact, I could choose many other criteria. Could you give me a clue about it?

I now partly understand why my supervisor has suggested include utilization as an evaluation criterion of my support program for patients. However, I am still confusing about it. In fact, I could ...

Hi there. Following my previous post, is it reasonable to include utilization as an evaluation criterion of a self-management support program for patients? I am not sure about it.

Following the previous post, is there any limitation of the staggered randomized or stepped wedge design？

Hi, friend! I am very interested in the staggered randomized or stepped wedge design you mentioned before. Could you please let me know more about it?

Hi, friend! I know that the most rigorous and credible way to develop a counterfactual is to randomize practices interested in participating in the intervention to an intervention or control group. The control group will then provide a good proxy of what would have happened to intervention practices had they not adopted the model. However, our team all believes that we cannot conduct a randomized trial for ethical and also fairness reasons. In such cases, may I ask if there is any possible solution?

Hi, friend! As it is generally costly to collect survey data of patients, could you give me a clue about how to calculate the ideal number of participants?

Hi, friend! May I ask why should evaluators need to make sure comparison practices are as similar as possible to intervention practices before the intervention begins?

Hi, friend! Based on your previous suggestion, may I conclude that small program evaluations have limited value?

Thanks for your previous information. I wonder if, I mean “if”, I get huge funding for supporting my program evaluation. Lots of doctors and nurses would come to my support. Then how can I design the data collection?

Thanks for your previous information. I wonder if, I mean "if", I get huge funding for supporting my program evaluation. Lots of doctors and nurses would come to my support. Then how can I design ...

Following the previous question, you have suggested that I could also track medical records to collect data. Could you please kindly elaborate more for me?

Hi there. If my available resources do not permit intensive data collection for a program evaluation in the hospital, what should I do?

Could you please give me a clue about the differences between studies of implementation and studies of impact?

Hi, friend! I am trying to develop the outcomes for my program evaluation in the primary care setting. Would you provide me with some references?

Hey, I understand the logic model is very important for program evaluation. Would you please kindly explain more to me?

Hi, friend! Following the previous post, I heard that it takes a very long time for practices to transform, based on evaluation results. Is that true?

Hi, friend! Following my previous post, maybe a long time ago, could you please explain to me why we need to consider the purpose and audience for the program evaluation in the primary care setting?

Hi there. Following the previous post, I understand the theory of adult learning and experiential learning is in line with Preskill’s suggestion, which emphasizes that participants need to be engaged in collaborative learning strategies rather than simply relying on didactic presentations or reading. Could you please let me know how this perspective is possible in an evaluation capacity-building project?

Hi, friend! I have found the paper and finished the reading. Besides program theory-driven evaluation, it also has mentioned another theory: adult learning and experiential learning. I am curious about it. Would you please kindly give me a clue about why adopting it?

Hi, friend! I have found the paper and finished the reading. Besides program theory-driven evaluation, it also has mentioned another theory: adult learning and experiential learning. I am curiou ...

Hi, friend! There is an increasing expectation that we community and public health workers will plan and implement evaluations of small projects we provide, although external professionals undertake much of the program evaluation for our organization. Therefore, we also hope to build capacity for conducting evaluation within ourselves. I suppose it may help if we can find some similar examples to guide this plan. Do you have any suggestions? Besides the MEL framework.

Hi there. I am trying to construct specific evaluation questions for my service. It is about providing mutual group support to young people with longer-term back pain. Through the program evaluation, I hope I could understand how successful the service was in achieving the short- and medium-term outcomes. Could you give me some suggestions?

Hi there. Following the previous question, I still hope to know more about how to evaluate patients’ health outcomes in a program evaluation. Could you please kindly elaborate more for me?

Hi there. Following the previous question, I still hope to know more about how to evaluate patients' health outcomes in a program evaluation. Could you please kindly elaborate more for me?

Hello. Could you please tell me if we could try to evaluate patients’ health outcomes in our program evaluation? I understand it is risky. Maybe our program is not so effective, but it is worth trying. Right?

Hello. Could you please tell me if we could try to evaluate patients' health outcomes in our program evaluation? I understand it is risky. Maybe our program is not so effective, but it is worth tr ...

Hi there. Following my prior post, I heard that The National Committee for Quality Assurance, American Diabetes Association Provider Recognition Program, Diabetes Quality Improvement Project, and National Quality Forum diabetes measurement sets all include HbA1c and lipid control indicators as well as HbA1c, lipid, urine protein, and eye testing. Is it true? If yes, it would so difficult for a medical social worker to collect such data.

Hi there. Following my prior post, I heard that The National Committee for Quality Assurance, American Diabetes Association Provider Recognition Program, Diabetes Quality Improvement Project, and ...

Hi there. Collecting questionnaires is really expensive and time-consuming. For NGO staff, it is also very difficult since we have less solid research knowledge. Therefore, I am considering use second-hand data. However, I also found that reliable sources of data on patient behavior (e.g., physical activity or diet) are less available. Could you please help me with this struggle?

Hi everyone, an update! We have decided to utilize an online and paper-based survey to seek the views of gay and bisexual men about our program and their sexual behavior and practices. However, I heard that the data collection methods and analysis used in program evaluation are the same as those used in a standard research project. Is this true? If yes, it would be too difficult for us to use the SPSS software.

Hi everyone, an update! We have decided to utilize an online and paper-based survey to seek the views of gay and bisexual men about our program and their sexual behavior and practices. However, I ...

Hi everyone! I have found some information from The American Association of Diabetes Educators. They believe changes in patient behavior to be the outcome most sensitive to diabetes self-management support. We are also conducting a program for patients with diabetes. Could you give me a clue about how to measure the behavior changes in patients?

Hi everyone. We realize that patient surveys often are expensive, and relying on patients’ responses to NGO staff. It often could raise the potential for added bias to our evaluation results. I want to ask if you may have any recommendations for it?

Hi everyone. We realize that patient surveys often are expensive, and relying on patients' responses to NGO staff. It often could raise the potential for added bias to our evaluation results. I wa ...

Hi, friend! We plan to evaluate a program, which was designed to increase patients’ knowledge and self-efficacy for self-management. In our evaluation plan, measures of self-efficacy assess people’s confidence in their ability to perform or adhere to specific behaviors such as exercise, diet, or stress management or to overcome obstacles to the performance of these behaviors. However, we are still searching for more literature for reference. Could you please kindly give me some related examples?

Hi, friend! We plan to evaluate a program, which was designed to increase patients' knowledge and self-efficacy for self-management. In our evaluation plan, measures of self-efficacy assess people ...

Following the previous post, besides writing the formal evaluation report, I wonder if you may also suggest any creative ways to share the evaluation results.

Hi there. I have finished a program evaluation of long-term patients in the hospital. You may also know, in general, health professionals are unaware of the distinctiveness of program evaluation as a discipline. Despite I hope to transfer the evaluation results into organizational learning, I found it very difficult. Do you have any suggestions for this situation?

Hi there. I have finished a program evaluation of long-term patients in the hospital. You may also know, in general, health professionals are unaware of the distinctiveness of program evaluation ...

Hi everyone. We are conducting a program evaluation for grief education service in a community, which are the following part for our palliative care in the hospital. As a result, the program is kind of complex and involves many components. And it seems impossible for us to evaluate all components of the two projects in a limited time. I understand we have to determine the evaluation priorities, but it is too difficult and we are worried if the bad decision would bring negative effects… Could you please kindly give me some advice?

Hi, friend! I wonder why it has been said that a critical step is understanding and obtaining the resources needed for successfully planning and carrying out your evaluation.

Hi there. I wonder if you could give me a clue about common challenges in evaluating primary care interventions?

Hi, friend! Following our previous discussion, how can I use the findings of the program evaluation?

Then, how do I conduct an evaluation, and what questions will it answer?

Hi, friend! Then how exactly do I plan a program evaluation?

Hey, then what do I need for an evaluation in the primary care setting?

Hi, friend! I understand that effective primary care can improve health and cost outcomes, and patient, clinician, and staff experience, and evaluations can help determine how best to improve primary care to achieve these goals. Still, I find it difficult to “sale” the evaluation ideas within the primary care setting. Could you please kindly help me with it.

Hi there. I have read the paper of Huckvale et al. (2020). It is said that we could use sensor data for monitoring and intervention tailoring. I wonder if you could explain more to me?

Hey, could you please recommend me a related paper for reference, for our plan to develop a smartphone app for the treatment of anxiety among young people?

Hi everyone! I need your encouragement… I don’t know what to do with the design of mobile health interventions. App for mental health sounds challenging now.

Hi everyone! I need your encouragement... I don't know what to do with the design of mobile health interventions. App for mental health sounds challenging now.

Hi there. Our previous discussion has upset me successfully… At least I could say that our team fellows would love this app, right? They would use it a lot since it is their idea.

Hi there. Our previous discussion has upset me successfully... At least I could say that our team fellows would love this app, right? They would use it a lot since it is their idea.

Following the previous post, maybe our team could try to do something to improve the engagement?

Hi there. Our team believes that young people would love apps for the treatment, that is also one of the reasons we try to adopt mobile health interventions to reduce their anxiety levels. I want to listen to your opinion about this choice.

Hi there. Our team believes that young people would love apps for the treatment, that is also one of the reasons we try to adopt mobile health interventions to reduce their anxiety levels. I want ...

Hi, friend! Could you give me more information about smartphone apps for the treatment of other mental health conditions? Just brainstorm for our design for the program evaluation.

Following the previous post, may I also include reducing participants’ suicidal ideation as a potential outcome in our program evaluation design? It seems quite reasonable based on the relationship between anxiety and suicidal ideation among young people.

Following the previous post, may I also include reducing participants' suicidal ideation as a potential outcome in our program evaluation design? It seems quite reasonable based on the relationshi ...

Hi, friend! We are trying to developing a smartphone app for the treatment of anxiety among young people. I know that the evidence base for the use of apps in the treatment of mental health conditions is most developed for the treatment of mood disorders. Could you give me some advice regarding how to choose the theory?

Hi, friend! Following the last question, I wonder is there any empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of Evidence-based mobile health interventions? Then may we say that it is beneficial for promoting people’s mental health?

Hi, friend! Following the last question, I wonder is there any empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of Evidence-based mobile health interventions? Then may we say that it is beneficial ...

Hi there! Do you remember that I have once asked you a question about mHealth interventions for people’s mental well-being? I have read the paper you recommended. It is very helpful. However, I wonder if you could elaborate more about the potential advantage of adopting mHealth interventions?

Hi there! Do you remember that I have once asked you a question about mHealth interventions for people's mental well-being? I have read the paper you recommended. It is very helpful. However, I wo ...

Hi there. I now begin to understand that evaluating the changes in behaviors of patients with chronic conditions is very important. Could you please elaborate more for me?

Hi, friend! I was told that medication adherence is not only a component of patients’ self-management of their chronic conditions but also an important metric to be assessed in the evaluation of these programs. Could you please kindly elaborate more for me?

Hi, friend! I was told that medication adherence is not only a component of patients' self-management of their chronic conditions but also an important metric to be assessed in the evaluation of t ...

Hey, I was told that once criteria are established, the performance standards for these criteria need to be developed. Could you please give me a clue about it? How to construct one?

Hey, I understand that program evaluation requires the establishment of criteria and performance standards. Regarding our program aiming at decreasing the incidence of HIV infection among men who have sex with men, I still find it very difficult to construct the criteria. Could you please kindly help me with it?

Hey, I understand that program evaluation requires the establishment of criteria and performance standards. Regarding our program aiming at decreasing the incidence of HIV infection among men who ...

Following the previous post, it sounds like logic models are not static entities. And a robust logic model is so plausible, sensible, and clearly communicates the causal processes that lead to the identified outcomes. And. Could you give me some related references for using the logic model? It would be better if they are in the hospital setting!

Hello. I understand that the Logic model is a fundamental tool for program evaluation and will help to set the boundaries of the project, strategy, initiative, or policy to be evaluated. Could you give me an example to gain a deeper understanding of it? For example, the overarching health issue of concern in our program is the decreased incidence of HIV infection among men who have sex with men through educating our target audiences.

Hi there. I heard that mobile health (mHealth) interventions have great potential to provide much-needed access to care. I wonder if there is any related program evaluation regarding it?

Hi there. So, based on the pre-COVID-19 crisis literature, we conclude that the research evidence about telehealth would be more useful for practice and policy decisions if the data and studies were better. Right? I wonder if you may get some advice for future related program evaluation of telehealth?

Hey, I have read more about telehealth. It is said that in those pre-COVID-19 telehealth evaluations, benefits were seen in situations where patients and clinicians had a choice, such as outpatient telehealth provider consultations were predominantly used to replace sending a patient for in-person visits with a specialist. However, the current environment and expectations and goals of both patients and providers are very different, making it likely outcomes will be different. Therefore, I wonder if these evaluations still are valuable?

Hi Dr. MEL, would you please tell me where I can find data to differentiate specific schemes under the Community Care and Support Services for the Elderly and the Residential Care Services for the Elderly? We are trying to make lists to compare the elderly services in the community and in residential homes.

Hi Dr. MEL, may I ask if there are statistics of the feedback of older adults who have received the Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services? As we are collecting useful secondary data for an evaluation of this program.

Hi Dr. MEL, would you please also tell me more about the number of acknowledged or approved assessors of the Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services?

Hi Dr. MEL, may I ask about the Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services? I wonder if the family members could apply it directly, for older adults?

Hi Dr. MEL, would you please also help me identify the differences between ” activities” and “outputs”?

Hi Dr. MEL, would you please also help me identify the differences between " activities" and "outputs"?

Hi Dr. MEL, would you please help me identify the differences between “output” and “outcome”? Taken the “Enhanced Home and Community Care Services” as an example.

Hi Dr. MEL, would you please help me identify the differences between "output" and "outcome"? Taken the "Enhanced Home and Community Care Services" as an example.

Hi Dr. MEL, I’ve learned about the logic model in program evaluation courses from MEL. May I know if we can adopt this model to carry out the evaluation program on Enhanced Home and Community Care Services?

Hi Dr. MEL, could you please help me with the understanding of the enhanced home and community care services in HK? As we plan to compare the services before and after.

Following the previous questions, I would like to make sure whether able-bodied adults aged 60 to 64 all affected by the new arrangement have to receive employment support services?

Hello Dr. MEL, do you know the requirements for able-bodied CSSA recipients aged 60 to 64 under the Employment Assistance Scheme?

To be more specific, I wonder if older adults who are now CSSA recipients and also want to apply for the employment support subsides, what should they do?

I’m participating in an evaluation project on the employment of the elderly in Hong Kong. I hope to know what the Employment Support is Scheme? Shall the elderly over 60 also apply for this grant in HK?

Only able-bodied adults aged 60 in or after 1 February 2019 will be affected by the change in CSSA eligibility? Am I right?

We are planning to do an evaluation of the CSSA and thus collecting information about this scheme. I learned that the eligibility age of CSSA recipients has changed from 60 to 65, will able-bodied people age 60-64 who were receiving CSSA before 2019 be affected?

I’d also like to know about the OEP project for this year, may I ask where I can find information about it?

Hi Dr. MEL, I’ve heard that besides the elderly center service and community care service, there are also other elderly support services in the community. One of them is the “Opportunities for the Elderly Project (OEP)”, can you kindly give me some information about it?

I want to make a list to compare support for elderly carers in different places. Could you please tell me more about the specific content of the carer support service?

Dear Dr. MEL, we plan to do a survey about elderly carer support services. Would you please tell me more about the carer support service provided by SWD in HK?

I wonder if you can kindly tell me how much people should pay for the day respite service?

Regarding the evaluation on the older adults’ access to daycare services, I also wonder should people pass the standardized care need assessment mechanism for elderly service to get the day respite service?

May I ask if there is also a temporary daily service for elderly people in daycare centers?

Hi Dr. MEL, we plan to do a survey about the effectiveness of daily care services for older adults in Hong Kong. Do you know where I can find more detailed information about Daycare centers for the elderly?

Could you also please tell me more about the Elderly Center Services in HK?

Could you please tell me more about the basic content of community support services for the elderly in HK? As I am searching for background information on elderly services in the Hong Kong community.

Could you please kindly tell me where I can access the newest statistical numbers of social security in Hong Kong?

Would you also please help me with the statistics of OAA? I hope to know how many older adults have received OAA in 2020.

Hi MEL professionals, may I seek your assistance with the newest information about the comprehensive social security assistance scheme? Do you know how much the recipients aged 65 or above can get from this scheme currently?

Could you please also tell me where I can find information about the OALA?

Dear Dr. Mel, we are collecting information for our evaluation program. It is about the qualifications of elderly welfare recipients in different schemes. I hope to know why recipients of Normal OALA, OAA, and DA cannot benefit from the medical waiver for standard fees and charges as Higher OALA recipients do?

Following the previous questions, where do you think that we can get the sampling frame? Could you please give us some advice?

We are developing an evaluation program on recipients of Higher OALA who have used free medical services. Could you please help me with the definition of the sampling frame in our program?

To be more specific, do you know how OALA recipients can get free medical services?

Hi Dr. MEL, we are planning an evaluation program on the OALA scheme. I find it difficult to differentiate Lower OALA from Higher OALA. May I ask about the free medical services for OALA recipients?

Can the recipient/appointee refuse to take part in the OALA review?

Then may I also ask how SWD conducts the review on OALA cases?

Would you also please tell me more about other measures taken by SWD to ensure the implementation of the OALA scheme?

I found that SWD, as the program manager, would regularly review their programs. Could you please explain what the regular review on OALA cases necessary is?

We are planning an evaluation program on the GD scheme. Could you please tell me where I can find more information about this Scheme?

Thank you so much for your assistance in finding data about the Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services! Would you please also tell me where to find more detailed statistics?

I’m looking for statistics of the Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services. Could you please help me with the recent statistics?

Could you please also tell me more about the operation of the Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services? I know that programs of SWD should use this mechanism, but should the services of NGOs also adopt this mechanism to assess the older adults’ needs?

May I also know the monitoring system of the Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services?

Dear MEL institute, we are evaluating the qualifications of social workers in the Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services. May I ask about the admission and training system?

Dear MEL institute, I just joined a social work institution in Hong Kong. We need to assess the needs of the targeted older adults, and further develop our service or program. Do you think if we could use the Minimum Data Set-Home Care (MDS-HC) to facilitate the needs assessment?

For the qualification of OALA under the GD scheme, I wonder will the recipient be excluded if he/she surrenders the annuity scheme?

To be more specific, may I also know the tool used in Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services?

Hello Dr. MEL, we are developing an evaluation program on services for the elderly in Hong Kong. Could you please help me with the definition of Standardized Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services?

Hi Dr. MEL, I know that the GD Scheme recipients should reside in GD for 60 days per year. I hope to know how can the SWD’s agent verify the implementation of this rule?

Hi Dr. MEL, I know that the GD Scheme recipients should reside in GD for 60 days per year. I hope to know how can the SWD's agent verify the implementation of this rule?

As an extended program for Hong Kong older adults who go to mainland China, the GD scheme is well planned and conducted. Still, I wonder if there are barriers to such extension? For example, why can’t the payments of GD Scheme allowance be credited directly to the elderly applicants’ bank accounts in Mainland China?

Following the previous question, may I ask how can older adults without a bank account in Hong Kong receive GD Scheme payments?

Then what If the elderly applicants don’t have any residential address proof in GD? Can they still apply for the GD Scheme?

One thing I know about the GD scheme is that the constraints and limits for recipients are strict. May I ask how a recipient can prove his/her GD residential address if his/her name is not shown on water, electricity, and gas bills?

For the specific regulations about application for OALA, could you please tell me whether married elderly persons should apply for OALA together in the name of a couple or by separate individuals?

Could you please tell me more about which department would be responsible for the GD scheme? Does SWD manage the OAA and OALA under the GD Scheme directly?

Hello Dr. MEL, we are collecting information to prepare for the evaluation of the linkage mechanism of different elderly programs in Hong Kong. I wonder if older adults as recipients of OALA under the GD scheme can receive free medical service during their stay in HK?

Following the previous question, may I also know more details about the grace period of OALA?

Dear Dr. MEL, may I know if a change in income or assets of recipients of OALA will cause a difference to recipients’ qualifications?

Hi Dr. MEL, in our preparation for the evaluation of the GD scheme, we found that the applicant needs to find a witness to be recognized as the target recipient. I wonder what should the applicant do if they can’t find a witness?

May I know whether the GD Scheme application can be submitted online?

Hi Dr. MEL, I’ve heard about some complicated cases while collecting information for an evaluation program on the GD scheme. I wonder what should the applicant do If he/she withdraws from the GD scheme and try to get PRH back? Should they re-apply?

Would you please tell me more about the general regulation for elderly applicants of the GD Scheme who are living in PRH units currently?

Hello Dr. MEL, I am confused by the ethical rules of evaluation designs. For example, if we separate older adults into a comparison group and an experiment group to see the influence of OAA, is it ethical to exclude older adults in the comparison group from the OAA scheme?

Dear MEL Institute, may I ask that should the elderly applicants return to Hong Kong to complete the GD Scheme application procedures?

Would you please kindly explain to me how long it usually takes for the applicants to get an allowance from the GD scheme after application?

Hi Dr. MEL, who do you think could be the participants of our survey if we are going to evaluate the effect of the GD scheme?

Dear MEL Institute, we are developing an evaluation program on the GD scheme in Hong Kong. Would you please suggest what survey method we should use?

Hi MEL professionals, I am interested in the way that elderly programs focus services on the target groups. I mean, a program needs to choose the right person and exclude ineligible applicants. For example, what should elderly recipients of OALA under the GD scheme do if their income exceeds the limits?

Hi MEL Institute, I found it was difficult for me to distinguish some similar programs. For example, I wonder if you can help me figure out whether the former OAA applicable to applicants aged 65 to 69 under the GD Scheme is replaced by OALA or not?

Hi MEL Institute, I found it was difficult for me to distinguish some similar programs. For example, I wonder if you can help me figure out whether the former OAA applicable to applicants aged 65 ...

Hello Dr. MEL, we hope to evaluate the operation of OAA and OALA under the Guangdong Scheme. We are struggling with which method should we adopt: the secondary data or collect the data by ourselves?

Following the previous question, may I also ask how much allowance the older adults can get from the OAA under the GD scheme currently? We are planning an evaluation program on elderly allowance.

Dear MEL Institute, would you please also tell me more about how much allowance the older adults can get from the OALA under the GD scheme currently?

Hi, Dr. MEL. I’ve learned that the strategy adopted to recognize the target recipient should also be evaluated in program evaluation. I wonder how SWD can know that the recipients of the GD scheme are living in GD?

Would you please tell me more about the nature of OAA and OALA? Are they contributory?

Hello, MEL institute. I really think the OALA under Guangdong Scheme is great! Would you please tell me if there are also other allowances or services in Guangdong Scheme under Social Security Allowance Scheme?

Following the previous post, may I ask that whether OAA recipients under the GD Scheme can also convert to OALA under the GD Scheme?

I’ve learned that some programs may be composed of various schemes to suit different needs. For example, older adults can apply for different allowances or supplements under Social Security Allowance Scheme in Hong Kong. Therefore, I wonder if it’s also the case between OALA and OALA under Guangdong Scheme. Can older adults who are now receiving OALA convert to OALA under the Guangdong Scheme?

Would you please tell me more about the allowance that older adults can apply in Hong Kong if they didn’t pass the income and asset test of OAA and OALA?

Hi, MEL professionals. I know that there are constraints for the target groups of specific services, but I am not sure if these constraints also include their families? I mean, if either the applicant’s partner has a higher income than the prescribed limits, can the applicant still apply for OALA?

Dr. MEL, would you please also tell me more about the target group of community living supplements? We are collecting more information about supplements for older adults in Hong Kong before evaluation.

Hi Dr. MEL, could you please explain to me the benefits of a telephone survey compared to an in-person survey with older adults as target participants?

Hi, MEL Institute. We have received some feedback in a survey on the access policy of OALA. Could you please instruct us on the following steps we should do to finish this survey and report our findings?

Hello, Dr. MEL. We are planning to conduct a survey on the access policy of OALA in Hong Kong. Could you please suggest an efficient way to collect data?

May I also ask about the arrangement of OALA for older adults to obtain an OALA application form?

Hi, MEL professionals. We are developing an evaluation program on the access strategies used in Hong Kong elderly welfare and service. I wonder if OALA would ask people to make applications in person. Can the elder authorize another person to make the application?

May I ask for supporting documents required for applying for the OALA?

Hi, Dr. MEL. I’m planning to have a survey about the allowance for older adults from Social Security Office. Do you know where I can get the address or phone number of the Social Security Office?

To be more specific, may I know whether older adults who almost reach the age eligibility can apply for OAA or OALA in advance?

Hello, I’m learning about “scheme evaluation” in program evaluation. May I ask about the scheme of OAA and OALA? How can older adults apply for OAA and OALA?

I have been told that sometimes people need to compare the program under evaluation with other similar programs to get a better understanding. Since Old Age Living Allowance, Old Age Allowance, and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance all focus on older adults, I wonder if older adults can get access to these programs at the same time?

I’ve learned that it’s of great importance to figure out the nature of the program when conducting an evaluation. Would you please help me with identifying the nature of the Old Age Allowance in Hong Kong?

Following the previous question, may I say that the major differences between normal OALA and higher OALA are the income limits and the amount of allowance?

Then may I also ask how much allowance the older adults can get from the higher OALA in the SSA scheme currently?

To be more specific, could you please tell me the income limits for applicants of the higher OALA?

Dear Dr. MEL, may I also ask the target groups of the higher OALA scheme? Who can apply for the higher OALA in HK?

I understand that one goal of program evaluation is to know the benefit level before and after the program. Could you please tell me how much allowance the older adults can get from the Normal Old Age Living Allowance (OALA) in the SSA scheme in Hong Kong currently?

May I also know that the asset and income limits for Normal Old Age Living Allowance under the Guangdong and Fujian Scheme?

I’ve learned that it’s usual for programs to set limits and constraints to screen and obtain target groups. May I know the current asses and income limits for Normal Old Age Living Allowance under the SSA scheme?

Who can get the Normal Old Age Living Allowance under the SSA scheme?

Hi, Dr. MEL. Would you please kindly tell me who can apply for the Old Age Allowance under SSA?

May I say that all older adults can apply for SSA in Hong Kong?

I am not sure about the criteria for the SSA scheme. Do people need to be tested to get the allowance?

Hi. Dr. MEL, we plan to carry out an evaluation project on Social Security Allowance (SSA) scheme. May I know the goal of this scheme?

I understand it’s very important to value the input in program evaluation. Could you also please tell me more about the total expenditure of CSSA in 2019-2020?

Hi, MEL Institute. We are developing an evaluation program on CSSA. May I know how many older adults have received CSSA assistance in 2020?

We are advocating for the rights of older adults to get appropriate service from the government and social organizations. Therefore, I wonder whether older adults can make appeals if they are not satisfied with the SWD decisions on their social security issues?

We are advocating for the rights of older adults to get appropriate service from the government and social organizations. Therefore, I wonder whether older adults can make appeals if they are not ...

Another common issue in program evaluation concerns service schemes. May I know the components or service schemes of the social security system of SWD?

I’ve learned that there are four steps in preparing for evaluation, including clarifying the purpose, formulating questions, making plans on time, strategy and budget, and signing the contract. And one common question is about the program objectives. May I know the overall objectives of social security in Hong Kong?

Following the previous question, I wonder if we could find more evaluative results for supporting telehealth expansion during the COVID-19 crisis.

Hi there. I found it is really impressive that telehealth is so powerful, far beyond my imagination! It turns out telehealth covers so many themes, including the telehealth modalities (e.g., video, asynchronous), clinical topics (e.g., chronic disease management), telehealth function (e.g., remote patient monitoring, consultations). Could you help me with its effectiveness? It seems impossible for me to summarize.

Is there any possible limitation of telehealth?

is there any possible limitation of telehealth?

Hi there. While it sounds like data visualizations are so valuable, I wonder if there is any weakness about it that social workers should keep in mind?

Hi there. I have done some research about how to visualize the data. It is so technical that a social worker could hardly finish it alone… Would you give me some suggestions to solve this program?

Hi there. I have done some research about how to visualize the data. It is so technical that a social worker could hardly finish it alone... Would you give me some suggestions to solve this program?

Hi, friend! If data visualizations are designed to draw attention, then is it necessary for social workers to pay more attention to it? It seems not exactly necessary for the current moment.

Hey, I have found the paper you recommended about data visualization. It is very easy for me to understand that how to visualize the quantitative data, but qualitative? I mean how could our project visualize the interview? It sounds too difficult.

Hi everyone. Following your previous reply, I am very interested in data visualization. Could you please kindly provide more information to me?

Hi there. I understand attracting the audiences to whom we are going to disseminate evaluation findings is very important, especially when we are trying to provide health promotion services. Could you give me more suggestions about how to achieve this goal?

Following the previous question, I have read the paper you recommended . It helps a lot! However, I get another question. In that paper, the author said that to enhance the usefulness of the evaluation, elements of utilization-focused evaluation and participatory evaluation were included. These concepts confused me. Would you please explain to me?

Hi, friend! I get a question about Internet-based interventions for sexual health promotion. You may also be aware that men who meet other men through the use of the Internet are more likely to practice unprotected anal intercourse. Therefore, health promoters are increasingly supplementing traditional forms of face-to-face health education with Internet-based HIV-prevention interventions that aim to change both individual behaviors and community attitudes towards sexual health and condom use. However, I found that program evaluation of the effectiveness of such intervention is still very rare. Could you kindly help me with it?

Hi everyone, following the previous question, then how can I develop the criteria and standards of performance if I decide to adopt the theoretical notion of valuing in our program evaluation?

Hi there. Would you please elaborate more about the theoretical notion of valuing in program evaluation? I have read it from an evaluation of a diabetes nurse specialist prescribing project, whose authors are Wilkinson et al. (2014).

Hello. I wonder if you could kindly provide me with more information about how to measure health care utilization.

Hi there. I have read some evaluation articles. It was said that measures of patient satisfaction with care and quality of life were widely utilized in research. Could you recommend some related reliable scales to me?

Hi there. I also got to know that some program evaluations would investigate changes in provider behavior or conformance with guidelines, instead of merely emphasizing patients’ well-being. It is quite new for me. Could you please kindly give me more information on it?

Hi there. I also got to know that some program evaluations would investigate changes in provider behavior or conformance with guidelines, instead of merely emphasizing patients' well-being. It is ...

Hey, your previous information about evaluating the behavioral aspect of patients’ change is great. I wonder if you can further give me an example for reference?

Hey, your previous information about evaluating the behavioral aspect of patients' change is great. I wonder if you can further give me an example for reference?

Hello. Following our previous discussion about evaluating the behavioral aspect of patients’ change. Would you please kindly give me more advice?

Hello. Following our previous discussion about evaluating the behavioral aspect of patients' change. Would you please kindly give me more advice?

Hi, friend! I found that patient self-report may be the only feasible source of data on many of the patient behaviors. Therefore, I may have to do the survey myself, but a brief one. Could you please give me some advice?

Hi there. Besides CISM Scale and service providers’ performance, could you please give me a clue about possible measures for our program for improving self-management among patients with chronic illnesses? I may discuss them with my fellows.

Hi there. Besides CISM Scale and service providers' performance, could you please give me a clue about possible measures for our program for improving self-management among patients with chronic i ...

Following the previous post, may I ask if our program also tries to evaluate the service providers’ performance. How can we operationalize the to-be-evaluated outcomes? Could you please give me some advice?

Following the previous post, may I ask if our program also tries to evaluate the service providers' performance. How can we operationalize the to-be-evaluated outcomes? Could you please give me so ...

Hello. I heard that, besides evaluating the changes of patients with chronic illnesses (such as their abilities to cope with illness stigma), it is also important for evaluators to monitor the performance of the program staff. Is it true? If so, would you give me some suggestions regarding that performance monitoring?

17th June, 2022

Hello. Following my previous question, I am trying to search for a Chinese version of the scale of self-management, which has been validated in Hong Kong patients with chronic illnesses. Could you please kindly give me a hand? Is there anyone available for me, to your knowledge?

17th June, 2022

Hi everyone! I am trying to plan a program evaluation of patients with chronic illnesses. That intervention is aiming to improve their self-management of chronic illnesses. However, I have met trouble with the construction of outcomes. Could you please give me some advice? I want to make sure I think ahead before its implementation.

16th June, 2022

Hi there. It sounds like Easy Evaluation is a framework that will allow health professionals to conduct robust program evaluations. I, therefore, am curious if it has some weaknesses or limitations?

16th June, 2022

Hi there. I want to know more about the Easy Evaluation. It sounds applicable for medical professionals with limited evaluation experiences. Could you please kindly provide me with more information?

Following the previous post, I have finished some readings about Easy Evaluation. It was said that Easy Evaluation is a hybrid framework drawing on several established evaluation approaches. I wonder if it would reduce its effectiveness?

Hi everyone. You may be aware that a lot of information we could find about program evaluation from textbooks is broad and explores core concepts but does not provide sufficient information to guide the conduct of an evaluation. Therefore, I wonder if you can recommend some practical framework for me to construct an evaluation under the hospital setting?

Thank you very much for your previous explanation! Just a brainstorm: I am thinking that besides the individual factors, both childhood experiences and current factors, will the factors regarding the justice system is related to criminal acts? Such as the number of police officers?

Thank you very much for your previous explanation! Just a brainstorm: I am thinking that besides the individual factors, both childhood experiences and current factors, will the factors regarding ...

Hi. Following the previous post, then what the implication would be if we value the effects of factors in adulthood in reducing crime?

Hello. Your information about the effects of early life experiences in individuals’ likelihood of becoming involved in offending is very interesting, still, I hope to know more about how the factors in adulthood may affect criminal acts.

Hello. Your information about the effects of early life experiences in individuals' likelihood of becoming involved in offending is very interesting, still, I hope to know more about how the facto ...

Hi there. I am also very interested in the role of the school environment in addressing the causes of offending and in ensuring a range of positive outcomes for young people. And I wonder if you could let me know more about it?

Following my previous post, if social workers also agree on the role of parenting in affecting children’s future (also potential) crime acts, then what implications could a program evaluation provide for the related services?

Following my previous post, if social workers also agree on the role of parenting in affecting children's future (also potential) crime acts, then what implications could a program evaluation prov ...

Hi there. When I tried to understand the underlying cause of crime, I found that many people would emphasize the role of parents even though we are not discussing juvenile crime. I am confused about it… Could anyone kindly help me with it？

May I ask whether a correctional program should set reducing recidivism of service users as its ultimate goal? I suppose it is necessary, yet it seems hard to achieve, especially in a limited time.

Hi, friend! Following my previous post, the term “recidivism” and “Incarceration” and some other terms, like arrests, are quite similar to me, yet it seems they are not the same. Will you kindly help me identify the definitions?

Hi, friend! Following my previous post, the term "recidivism" and "Incarceration" and some other terms, like arrests, are quite similar to me, yet it seems they are not the same. Will you kindly h ...

Hi there. Could you give me a clue about the definition of recidivism? I found it is very difficult to measure…

Hi there. Could you give me a clue about the definition of recidivism? I found it is very difficult to measure...

Hi everyone. I wonder if you could suggest an approach to serve or screen for alcohol use problems and referral to treatment processes? We plan to provide some support for DWI (driving while intoxicated) offenders.

Hi, friend! I am trying to understand the ranking standard you mentioned before, to evaluate juvenile justice practices, such as Blueprints. Could you please elaborate more for me?

Hi there. I wonder regarding juvenile justice prevention and treatment if there is any platform for evidence-based programs. If yes, grateful if you could give me more details. Thank you so much!

Following the previous post, it just occurred to me, by using some online techniques, could we also retain participants.

Thank you for your previous suggestions for solving the problem of participants’ attrition. I wonder if it is ethical for evaluators to use financial compensation to retain participants in the prison context.

Thank you for your previous suggestions for solving the problem of participants' attrition. I wonder if it is ethical for evaluators to use financial compensation to retain participants in the pri ...

Following my previous question, is there any possible solution for participants’ attrition?

Following my previous question, is there any possible solution for participants' attrition?

Hi, friend! Based on the evaluation research for inmate services, how to track and retain participants is another big challenge, particularly if the period following probation is part of the project. May I ask your opinions on it? Many thanks!

Hi, friend! Following our prior discussion, I heard the word “guilty knowledge”, would you kindly elaborate for me?

Hi, friend! Following our prior discussion, I heard the word "guilty knowledge", would you kindly elaborate for me?

Hi, friend! Thank you for your previous explanation! I now understand that the many cases of abuse of the past have resulted in the prison population becoming a protected group that is very difficult to access. May I further ask you a clue about the confidentiality of the program evaluation in prison? Anything special?

Thanks for your previous information. I wonder if, I mean “if”, our evaluation fails to follow the ethical guideline of informed consent, what might happen?

Thanks for your previous information. I wonder if, I mean "if", our evaluation fails to follow the ethical guideline of informed consent, what might happen?

Following the previous question, you have suggested that obtaining free and informed consent from inmates in prison is a major challenge for my evaluation. I wonder if you could give me more practical advice?

Hi there. Could you please give me a clue about obtaining informed consent from inmates in prison? Is there anything I should keep in mind?

We hope to evaluate a prison-based intervention program, however, one big challenge of evaluative activities in a prison context is hot to access the potential institution. Could you please kindly give me some suggestions?

Could you please give me a reference to deeply understand the logic of program evaluation justice-related area? I hope to design an evaluation for our treatment program for DWI (driving while intoxicated) offenders.

Hi, friend! Following my prior post, when I searched for more information about the Central Eight, I further noticed two concepts: dynamic risk factors and criminogenic needs. I am not sure of their meanings in the juvenile crime context. Could anyone kindly offer me a hand?

Hi, friend! The term “Central Eight” you mentioned previously is new to me! Could you please kindly tell me more about it? Or tell me which author explore it for the very first time?

Hi there. As previously noted, juveniles with more ACEs are more likely to come into contact with the juvenile justice system. And I have searched for some literature and found a Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) theory, which has been suggested effective for providing service. Could anyone kindly explain more to me?

Hi there. As previously noted, juveniles with more ACEs are more likely to come into contact with the juvenile justice system. And I have searched for some literature and found a Risk-Need-Respon ...

Hi, friend! Following my previous post, your information about ACE is so fascinating! I wonder if you could give me more information? Such as how could I evaluate the client’s ACE experience?

Hi, friend! Following my previous post, your information about ACE is so fascinating! I wonder if you could give me more information? Such as how could I evaluate the client's ACE experience?

Hi, friend! Based on our previous working experience, we found that prior trauma is particularly high for justice-involved youth placed in residential facilities. I wonder if we can find some theories to explain this phenomenon?

I heard that follow-up is very important for evaluation, especially for the services for offenders. I wonder if you may elaborate more for me?

Hi there. After searching for more information, I found out that Many treatment programs in the criminal justice system have operated without evaluations for many years, only to find out later that key outcome data are needed to justify program continuation. Hence, our team thinks it may help if we conduct also a process evaluation. Grateful if anyone could give me a clue about the directions for the process evaluation.

Following my previous post, quasi-experimental evaluation designs sound very practical for understand the effectiveness of a community corrections program for offenders. However, to be sure, I want to further confirm and ask whether it get some limitations? I may consider it before implementing it.

As you mentioned previously when a random assignment of participants to treatment or control groups is not feasible for practical, ethical, or legal reasons, is there any plan B for community corrections programs?

Hi there. I understand that effective evaluation of community corrections programs is critical if we are to begin to understand what treatments are capable of producing lasting change in offenders. However, I am not sure if it is necessary for us to try experimental design since it sounds not a social worker style…

Following my previous question, it sounds like the OTI contains so many different dimensions! Could you also please elaborate more about the drug use domain of the OTI for me?

Hi everyone! Following my previous post, I also found the Opiate Treatment Index (OTI) is recommended by others. Would you please kindly give me more information about using it in a program evaluation?

Hi everyone. Hi everyone. Our program is looking for a brief instrument for assessing treatment outcomes for people with alcohol problems. It is so hard…Do you have any suggestions？

Hi everyone. Hi everyone. Our program is looking for a brief instrument for assessing treatment outcomes for people with alcohol problems. It is so hard...Do you have any suggestions？

Hi, friend! I found cost evaluation and economic evaluations are very similar. Could you please help me identify these two concepts?

Following the previous post, I wonder if you could give me more information on the areas of evaluation. Maybe some practical reference?

Hi there. I wonder besides outcome evaluation, are there any other evaluating areas of a treatment program?

Hi everyone. We are going to write our treatment evaluation report. This post is written to ask if you get any suggestions for the writing especially the discussion part?

Hi, friend! Could you please kindly give me a clue about reintegrative shaming? I am not familiar with this concept.

Hi there. I am looking for a way to enhance the effectiveness of our service for returning citizens after release. I wonder if you could kindly give some advice?

Hi, friend! Following my previous post, just as you suggested, the punishment was found to be ineffective in changing criminal behavior and many correctional programs started providing educational and skill-based training that are believed to assist offenders to get employment after imprisonment. I wonder if you could give me a practical example for me to better understand?

The effectiveness of rehabilitation and deterrence has often been questioned because of the high probability of re-offending after correctional rehabilitation. Based on this challenging fact, I wonder if you could give me some suggestions?

Hi. Thank you, guys, for answering so many questions before! I want to do some research myself. Therefore, I wonder if you can tell me where I can find more information on treatment program evaluation? Besides Dr. Google.

Hey. It is said that a specific data coordinator should exist for conducting program evaluation. I wonder if it is really necessary…

Hey. It is said that a specific data coordinator should exist for conducting program evaluation. I wonder if it is really necessary...

Assume I choose the pre-post design and the Addiction Severity Index for assessment, could you give me an example regarding how the data collection procedure goes?

Hi there. Regarding how the data will be collected, when it will be collected, and from whom, I understand there are typically two possible designs—randomized controlled design and pre-post comparison. However, I am not sure how to decide. Could you please help me compare those two?

If I hope to adopt the Recovery Capital Index in my program evaluation, is there anything I should keep in mind?

The development of The Recovery Capital Index (RCI) sounds so interesting! Could you please kindly elaborate more for me?

Hi there. One colleague recommended The Recovery Capital Index (RCI) for me. And she said it could assess a client’s level of recovery capital. The concept is very interesting, but I am not very familiar with it. Is anyone could offer me a hand?

Hi! I heard that a correctional system has vanished, but I failed to understand it… Could anyone kindly explain to me?

Hi! I heard that a correctional system has vanished, but I failed to understand it... Could anyone kindly explain to me?

Hi there. Our team prefers qualitative interviews to conduct program evaluation, instead of too many numbers. Currently, we are looking for a tool for evaluating substance use. Would you please kindly give me a clue?

Thank you so much for your previous information about the CAP! It is such a structured treatment program that directly addresses criminal attitudes; however, there are no extant data as to its effectiveness. Maybe our project could try to fix the gap! Therefore, I wonder if you could give some suggestions about how to choose the measurement scale?

Following the previous post, I am very interested in the CAP program! It sounds very practical. Could you give me more information about it?

Hi, friend! Following my post (a long time ago…), I get some questions about criminal attitudes. Our team has finally discussed the possibility of altering service users’ criminal attitudes, but we found a relative lack of treatment programs focusing on them… I wonder if you could friendly give me some advice…

Hi, friend! Following my post (a long time ago...), I get some questions about criminal attitudes. Our team has finally discussed the possibility of altering service users' criminal attitudes, but ...

Hi, friend! Juvenile justice systems should use effective interventions. I suppose it is an uncontested principle, therefore, I am confused why some people still hesitate to apply this rule?

Hi there! Although we could not identify any published studies that tested methods for reducing anger bias specifically in maltreated youths, several studies have examined strategies for altering emotional-response tendencies in other populations, which are groupable into “topdown” and “bottom-up” approaches. We have a problem about how to choose between these two approaches, and therefore wonder if anyone happens to know more about them and could give us some advice?

Hi there! Although we could not identify any published studies that tested methods for reducing anger bias specifically in maltreated youths, several studies have examined strategies for altering ...

I now understand that quality afterschool programs may help decrease delinquent behaviors for the youth participants, but I heard that there is compelling criticism of the methodological quality of the existing evaluations. Would you please give me a clue about it?

Hi, friend! Following my previous question, I am trying to design an afterschool program for teenagers, and I found out that it is only when your courses are structured activities, they may take effect on reducing youth conduct crime. Is it real?

I wonder if I want to design an afterschool program for teenagers. It aims to prevent their possibilities of conduct crime. Could I also choose some other indicators as an outcome? Could you kindly give me some examples？

Your information about out-of-school time programs sounds insightful! Could you elaborate more for me?

Following the previous post, it sounds like instead of blaming mothers, we should do more to make sure youth are under supervised or being cared for outside the school time, especially when their parents are still working.

Following the previous post, it sounds like instead of blaming mothers, we should do more to make sure youth are under supervised or being cared for outside the school time, especially when their ...

Hello. A colleague and I discussed the possible reason for youth delinquency. And he mentioned it resulted from the proliferation of Women in the labor force. I felt so angry about his explanation! Is anyone could help me to “fight back”?

Following your previous suggestions, I have tried to read more about articles using meta-analytic techniques. And I found that the seminal meta-analysis of the correctional treatment literature indicated that offenders who participated in therapeutic activities had an approximate 10% lower rate of recidivism compared with those offenders who did not participate in treatment. That is very impressive!!! However, I am still very confused about how to apply it to our program design and evaluation…

Hey, I have read more about how to change criminal attitudes. However, I wonder if there is any empirical evidence supporting it, instead of merely a theoretical hypothesis?

Following my previous post, I am concern that both two theories: “Differential Association” and “Techniques of Neutralization”, were first introduced over 50 years ago, are they still applicable to the current situation?

Following my previous post, I am concern that both two theories: "Differential Association" and "Techniques of Neutralization", were first introduced over 50 years ago, are they still applicable t ...

Then how about the theory of “Techniques of Neutralization”? It is another theory I found very interesting to discuss individuals’ attitudes toward criminal acts.

Then how about the theory of "Techniques of Neutralization"? It is another theory I found very interesting to discuss individuals’ attitudes toward criminal acts.

Following my last question, I have searched for some information about criminal attitudes in the criminological and forensic psychological literature. And I found two very interesting theories of criminality. One is the “Differential Association”, proposed by Sutherland, is anyone could elaborate more for me?

Following my last question, I have searched for some information about criminal attitudes in the criminological and forensic psychological literature. And I found two very interesting theories of ...

Hi there! I wonder if whether criminal behavior is modifiable through social work services and, if so, what theory may facilitate or guide best achieve change among correctional clients.

Hi there. I hope to find an assessment tool to evaluate the severity of a person’s substance abuse and provides a comprehensive overview of a person’s addiction-related issues. Do you have any recommendations?

Hey. When I need to decide who will be involved in the evaluation team, who should I take into consideration?

It is said that a treatment evaluation should also include activities evaluations. Would you please kindly give me a clue about it?

Hi, friend! Following my previous question, regarding step 1 “Engage people affected by the program and/or evaluation”, could you please give me more information about what does it mean?

Hi, friend! Following my previous question, regarding step 1 "Engage people affected by the program and/or evaluation", could you please give me more information about what does it mean?

Ok! I am ready to start a treatment evaluation. It would be great if anyone could give me some very practical tips! Or some steps to follow!

Hi there. I plan to design a treatment evaluation, and hope it finds out good results. If so, is there any suggestion to get myself prepared?

Hi, friend! Many thanks for your kind explanation, I get to understand outcome evaluations measure how clients and their circumstances change following participation in treatment and/or rehabilitation. However, I am still confused about how to evaluate the outcomes of a treatment program. Is anyone could give me a hand?

Hey, I found that there are four core standards to guide evaluation design clarified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program. Would you please provide me with more information?

Hi everyone. Following your previous reply, I wonder if there is any benefit of a program evaluation for our service users?

If I want to persuade my boss about the benefits of program evaluation, could you give me some advice about how evaluation can be useful to the program administration?

Following the previous question, could you please elaborate more about the benefits of program evaluation could bring to our treatment service for clients?

Hi, friend! Following my previous question, could you explain more about what treatment evaluation is?

Hi everyone, would you give me a clue why program Evaluation is necessary for a treatment program on substance use? Shouldn’t we focus on serving, instead of spending time on evaluating?

Besides the scales you suggested before, we also want to assess the conduct problems and juvenile offending of our participants. Do you have any related scales to recommend?

Hello. Following my previous questions, I wonder if I could also ask a question about the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory? Is there anything I should keep in mind when I use it?

Hello. I wonder if you could kindly provide me with more information about how to use Raine et al.’s scale: Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire?

Hello. I wonder if you could kindly provide me with more information about how to use Raine et al.'s scale: Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire?

Hi there. I want to ask if there are any other suggestions about how to choose scales for our reduce-physical-aggression programs? Besides the Pubertal Development Scale.

Hey, your previous suggestion about adopting the Pubertal Development Scale is surprising. One of my team members wonders if we must collect this information. Therefore, I wonder if you can explain more?

Hello. Following our previous discussion about Petersen et al.’s scale, would you please kindly give me more details about it?

Hello. Following our previous discussion about Petersen et al.'s scale, would you please kindly give me more details about it?

Hi, friend! As you may also know that there are positive links between anger bias and aggression among children and adolescents who have been maltreated or exposed to violence, we hope to examine whether this bias can be reduced through our service, thereby preventing their aggressive responding. Our service plans to provide positive emotion training. However, we are trying to figure out what kinds of measurements could be used in our program evaluation. Would you please kindly give me some advice?

Hi, friend! As you may also know that there are positive links between anger bias and aggression among children and adolescents who have been maltreated or exposed to violence, we hope to examine ...

Hi there. Is it true that there are multiple program evaluation results supporting that early prevention programs that target at-risk youth groups can produce significantly higher returns on investment than interventions focused on their problem behavior?

Following the previous post, may I ask what kinds of outcomes could be considered when our team plans to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of youth crime prevention programs?

Hello. I have reviewed the existing evaluation results about the costs of youth afterschool programs and found that most cost data underestimated full program costs and excluded key cost elements. To calculate the costs of such a program accurately, do you have any suggestions for me?

Hello. Following my previous question, I wonder if there is a “bottom-up” approach to calculate the costs of crime, will there be a “top-down” approach?

Hello. Following my previous question, I wonder if there is a “bottom-up” approach to calculate the costs of crime, will there be a "top-down" approach?

Hi there. I am trying to search for a theory to guide our program evaluation of juvenile crime. A friend recommends the Routine Activity Theory. Could anyone kindly give me a clue about this theory?

Hi, there! I heard a focal point of examination for the fields of delinquency prevention is how adolescents spend their leisure time in the hours after school. However, I am not quite sure about the logic behind this statement. I wonder if anyone could kindly help me with it? Thank you very much!

18th March, 2022

Hi, I understand that community usually has different definitions in different countries. Would you please summarize the most general meaning of community in HK for me?

15th March, 2022

I have a further question about community development in Hong Kong. Would you please briefly conclude the characteristics of community development in HK?

25th February, 2022

May I know what services probationers could get from POs?

20th January, 2022

Dear Dr. Mel, may I ask another question about CSO? I wonder if the CSO scheme only serves as a means of punishment.

19th January, 2022

Hi everyone! It is well recognized that crime and delinquency of young people place considerable economic loss on society, from an economic standpoint. I am trying to find an appropriate way to estimate these costs in Hong Kong. Appreciate it if you could give me some advice to calculate. Or maybe provide me with some practical examples.

19th January, 2022

Following your previous suggestion, I have searched some theories to explain youth delinquency and the absence of parental supervision after school hours and found Hirschi’s social control theory. Yet, how to link youth’s behavior to social control is a huge challenge for me (I do believe in “the person in environment” theory). Grateful if you help me with it!

19th January, 2022

Hi there. I am conducting a program evaluation of our services for juvenile crime. Yet, surprisingly I found that the most likely time for a juvenile to commit a crime is weekdays, instead of weekends. It doesn’t make sense to me… Is there anyone who could give me a hand?

Could you please help me confirm something about the community service orders (CSO) scheme? I heard that under CSO, a court may make an order requiring a person of or over 14 years of age and convicted of an offense punishable with imprisonment to perform unpaid work for several hours not exceeding 240 hours within a period of 12 months under the supervision of a probation officer. Can I say that as the activities of the CSO scheme?

Dear Dr. Mel, could you please tell me where I can find more information about the probation service? As I am preparing for a survey on the effectiveness of probation services in Hong Kong. Thanks!

Dear Dr. Mel, could you please tell me where I can find more information about the probation service? As I am preparing for a survey on the effectiveness of probation services in Hong Kong. Thanks ...

Would you please give me a clue about the target group of probation services provided by SWD?

Our institution plans to do a brief survey on the probation services for teenagers in Hong Kong. Could you please help me with the information preparation? I hope to know if there are special probation services for this group.

I am preparing for the evaluation on the service of the Probation Office. Could you please tell me about the responsibilities of the Probation Office in serving the courts?

Hi, Dr. Mel, could you please elaborate a bit more on the expected outcomes of probation service in HK? I mean, can I count the number of offenders who have received probation service as the outcome? I am confused!

Dear Dr. Mel, could you please give me a clue about the probation service conducted by SWD in HK?

Hi Dr. MEL, could you please also introduce the difference between the new and old models of services for offenders in HK? I am collecting information for evaluation of such a shift.

May I ask about the services for offenders in Hong Kong? As we want to compare the impact of services for offenders in prison and in the community. I hope to know the advantages of community-based services compared with the service provided in prison.

Hi. One of my friends introduced this OCOP platform to me. I am still having no idea about what the program evaluation is? I wonder what this process involves if I want to practice the skills learned from MEL courses.

Dear Dr. MEL, now I understand the importance of the theory of change to social service activities. May I ask if it is true that the community development in HK generally adopts western social work theories?

Dear Dr. MEL, we are developing an evaluation program on the roles of social workers in community development in HK. Would you please share your opinion with me about this topic?

Hi, Dr. Mel. I’ve learned about non-probability sampling from MEL courses. Do you think that we could use snowball sampling in a survey on the collaboration scheme of community development in HK?

Hi, Dr. Mel. I’ve learned about non-probability sampling from MEL courses. Do you think that we could use snowball sampling in a survey on the collaboration scheme of community development in HK?< ...

Following the proposal, could you please also explain to me the differences between asset-based development and capital-based development in the community?

Hello, I do not quite understand asset-based community development. Is it a concept in the social work area? Would you please kindly help me with this concept?