Good enough evaluation

A significant obligation still rests with practitioners and researchers to help spread an understanding – and ultimately a valuing – of person-centred practice among stakeholders at various levels, through systematic and meaningful evaluation of their efforts. While there is a range of frameworks (for example, Praxis and Fourth Generation Evaluation) that help guide the evaluation process, there is still the tendency to feel overwhelmed by choices when selecting the right tools or measures for the right people at the right time. In addition, a burden may be created by the amount and range of data produced and how this is analysed and used, which may result in incomplete, inadequate or incongruous evaluations. If we are unable to provide evidence of the effectiveness of our evaluations then stakeholders may assume practice development does not make much difference to the development of an effective person-centred culture. This paper focuses on the importance of evaluation in practice development work and outlines a new framework that incorporates the principles of person-centred practice. This framework will assist practitioners and researchers to undertake effective evaluations and produce strong, reliable evidence for key stakeholders. A case example will be outlined to illustrate the key principles of the framework and how it can be used in practice.