Research

Overview

A key component of the Safe from the Start (SFS) program is an ongoing outcome evaluation that uses standardized assessment and intake/exit data gathered by SFS providers to assess client outcomes and program efficacy. The SFS outcome evaluation began in State Fiscal Year 2005 when the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority (IPVA), SFS service providers, and University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) researchers collaborated to: a) create intake and exit forms; b) select validated assessments for use with clients; and c) develop a database for program sites to enter client and assessment data. As the program evaluator, UIC researchers provided research support, including support for the database, and technical assistance to sites. In 2020, program evaluation and database management were transitioned to ICJIA’s research team at the Center for Victim Studies.

SFS Research Goals and Activities

The purpose of the SFS evaluation is to:

• Identify program strengths and opportunities for improvement.
• Assess program efficacy.
• Provide SFS sites with data and research findings to inform service delivery.
• Disseminate research findings to increase awareness of childhood exposure to violence and to inform policy and practice.

Research activities include:

• Maintaining SFS database and extract data for quality control and programmatic reporting.
• Providing training and technical assistance to SFS providers on data collection and database entry.
• Analyzing deidentified client intake/exit and assessment data.
• Drafting research reports to demonstrate program efficacy.
• Preparing site specific reports to inform treatment and improve programming.

Validated assessments used in client treatment are:

• Parenting Stress Index (PSI)
• Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)
• Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
• Ages and Stages Questionnaire for Social Emotional Development (ASQ:SE)

Program Outcomes