Projects

CHSR is currently the external evaluator for three System of Care implementation and expansion grants awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), including for New York State (focusing on implementing high fidelity wraparound and integration with Health Homes in multiple counties across the state), New York City (focusing on implementing high fidelity wraparound and integration with Health Homes in New York City), and Cayuga County (focusing on implementing DBT in schools in the county).

CHSR’s activities include interview data collection with participating families and youths, program implementation monitoring and impact evaluation, and regular internal and external reporting.

CHSR, in collaboration with the University at Albany School of Social Welfare, worked with Lifespan of Greater Rochester and the Weill Cornell Medicine’s New York City Elder Abuse Center to perform a preliminary program evaluation of the Elder Abuse Interventions and Enhanced Multidisciplinary Team (E-MDT) Initiative in New York State. E-MDTs use a collaborative approach to intervene in complex cases of elder abuse (financial, physical, psychological, sexual, and neglect by others). Members of the teams represent a variety of disciplines including: Adult Protective Services, aging services, health and human services, financial/banking services, law enforcement, and others who meet under the facilitation of an E-MDT Coordinator. The teams are enhanced by access to forensic accountants, geriatric psychiatrists/mental health professionals, and civil legal services.

As of September 2020, there were currently 44 counties with operational E-MDTs and several more under development in the State. Through interviews and surveys with representatives in a number of different roles, CHSR staff established a baseline efficacy of the program in New York State. 

Funding for this preliminary program evaluation was provided from the New York State Office for the Aging and federal Victims of Crime Act/New York State Office of Victim Services to Lifespan of Greater Rochester.

Since 1995, CHSR has been working with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services to conduct a variety of studies of Healthy Families New York (HFNY), a statewide paraprofessional home visiting program using the Healthy Families America model designed to prevent child abuse and neglect, improve parent-child interaction, increase parental self- CHSR’s work aims to monitor program implementation and model fidelity, measure program impact and outcomes, and inform practice and policy in New York State.

Evaluation & Research

Randomized Controlled Trial: CHSR and OCFS conducted a randomized controlled trial that began in 2000. Over 1,000 women were interviewed annually for 3 years; additional waves of data collection occurred in Years 7 and 15. In the study, expectant and new parents were assigned to either a treatment group (offered home visiting services) or a control group (received referral information only). The study compared these women and their children over time to assess program outcomes.  Please see our Scholars Archive page for publications resulting from this work.

Evaluation of Child Welfare Protocol program participation and impact: HFNY has recently implemented an adaptation of the program model aimed at serving families referred in to the program via the child welfare system. CHSR is evaluating whether the families served under this arm of the program are similar to those served under the Signature model practices, or if they differ in significant and meaningful ways, and if program service delivery and participation and/or program impacts and outcomes differ between groups. CHSR will examine program service data, conduct interviews and focus groups, and collect survey data.

Program Development

CHSR is an active participant of HFNY’s Central Administration, an interdisciplinary team of HFNY program administrators, trainers, and evaluators. CHSR researchers and management information system staff regularly attend statewide HFNY leadership team meetings. These meetings provide valuable opportunities to report research findings and discuss ways to integrate them into program practices.

Systems & Software Development

CHSR has designed and maintains a Management Information System (MIS) used by all 54 HFNY sites. Information is gathered on the primary caregiver, child, other caregivers,  and program staff. Data are collected on family demographics, medical events, pregnancy outcomes, home visits, referrals, developmental screens, parental stress, training, educational attainment, and employment. Performance measures monitor attainment toward program goals. In addition to providing evaluation data, the system produces site-specific statistical reports to assist in program monitoring, administration, and management of cases. CHSR offers on-site training, telephone and email support, special report requests, and regular statewide training sessions. CHSR also designed and maintains the statewide HFNY website.

CHSR is working with the New York State Kinship Navigator program and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services to evaluate the provision of services and supports to kinship caregivers (e.g., grandparent or relative caregivers in lieu of parents) as part of statewide efforts to implement kinship caregiver services meeting national What Works Clearinghouse standards. Kinship Navigator’s goal is to foster family stability, safety, well-being, and permanency for youth in kinship care. New York State has also trained and designated “Kinship Champions” in local Departments of Social Services, who are meant to support kin caregiver families and connect families with the Navigator.

CHSR is currently reviewing currently approved models from other states to determine potential options for New York. CHSR will also be surveying local Commissioners and Kinship Champions to learn more about local systems in place and relationships with Kinship Navigator, and holding focus groups of families served by these Champions to learn about program successes and areas needing additional support.

CHSR is collaborating with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services to research youth transitioning out of foster care.

The National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) collects information on youth in foster care and their outcomes as they transition out of foster care. The survey asks about employment, education, financial resources, and family relationships. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) contracts with CHSR to track and survey these youth at ages 17, 19, and 21.

The project requires close communication with regional and agency liaisons and caseworkers to obtain youth data; ongoing contact with youth to maintain current contact information; the administration of telephone, web, and paper surveys; and regular submission of data reports to OCFS.

CHSR is working with the Albany County Department for Children, Youth, and Families to provide data collection and analysis expertise in juvenile justice.

This work is a continuation of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) that begin in Albany in 2013. The goals of JDAI are to reduce juvenile detention admissions and expand the array of local detention alternatives, minimize re-arrest and failure to appear rates pending adjudication, and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in juvenile detention.

The current work seeks to further these goals through community engagement and interagency collaboration.

CHSR works with local agencies to identify and utilize data in making policy and case-level decisions and in developing strategies to improve the local juvenile justice system. Data pertaining to juvenile justice processes and alternatives to detention are collected, analyzed, and presented to local stakeholders.

The Victim Legal Assistance Network project seeks to expand and enhance the information and resources available on the New York Crime Victims Legal Help Network website. It is a collaborative effort between Empire Justice Center (EJC), Pro Bono Net (PBN), and CHSR. It is funded by a grant from the New York State Office of Victim Services.

This project is a continuation of a federal grant from the Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. The goal of the federally funded project was to develop a comprehensive, collaborative network to meet the civil legal needs of crime victims in New York State, outside of New York City.

CHSR’s work includes conducting needs assessments of specific victim populations, obtaining feedback about how victims and service providers use the website, and analyzing data to inform the content and reach of the website.

The Center for Human Services Research was awarded a contract from the New York State Office of Victim Services (NYS OVS),to conduct an assessment of the training needs of victim service providers throughout New York State. CHSR worked to ascertain the basic skills that victim service providers need to provide quality assistance, services, and support to victims and survivors of crime; specify the types of training and topics needed to improve victim services; identify specific modalities and delivery methods of training for victim service providers; and determine the sustainability of training efforts over time.

CHSR’s needs assessment activities included an online survey of service providers and telephone interviews with key stakeholders, and culminated in a final report including recommendations for delivering and sustaining trainings that meet the needs of victim service providers across New York State.

The vision of the New York State Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five initiative was for every child in New York to be supported by a mixed-delivery system that is informed by parent voice and provides access to high quality, equitable and comprehensive early care and learning environments and services essential for healthy development and lifelong success. The grant is administered by the NYS Council of Children and Families. Learn more about these activities here: Preschool Development Birth Through Five (NYSB5).

Needs Assessment

As part of this initiative, the Center for Human Services Research (CHSR) conducted a series of statewide birth through five Needs Assessments to better understand the strengths and needs of New York State’s mixed delivery early childhood system. Activities included conducting key informant interviews and focus groups with families and providers (with a focus on vulnerable populations); administering electronic surveys for families, direct care staff, and administrators; and reviewing reports, briefings, and published statistics.

Performance Evaluation

CHSR provided ongoing evaluation and feedback to project stakeholders throughout the project to continuously monitor and improve grant activities. The goal of evaluation activities were to establish a valid and reliable system of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), so that program administrators could make timely and informed decisions regarding mid-course corrections or resource allocations.

Data from this work was used to create and update a series of Tableau dashboards demonstrating granted activity implementation, and resulted in many project-specific and annual reports. CHSR staff also created the Early Childhood Advisory Council’s Early Childhood Data Dashboard, integrating various sources of information about New York’s children and child care system in one place.

Pyramid Model

CHSR developed, tested, and launched an application interface to allow New York State Pyramid Model sites to enter and report on their data. This application has since been adopted nationally, with 13 states currently utilizing the program.

The University at Albany has partnered with CHSR to conduct an application-required self-study and an ongoing evaluation for its HHMI Driving Change initiative award, EXCELlence in STEM. 

Based on the results and needs identified in the self-study, the program is utilizing a three-pronged approach to improve outcomes for all STEM students, and particularly those from historically underrepresented backgrounds, ensuring that more UAlbany graduates are well prepared for leadership roles in STEM careers. 

The program incorporates student-centered interventions (e.g., expansion of the summer bridge program, supplemental instruction support, personalized advising and counseling, etc.), faculty redesign of STEM instruction (core course redesign including transformational learning models, inclusive teaching, and targeted learning pathways, and a faculty learning community), and institutional support (e.g., additional resources, pedagogical enhancements, microcredentials, and planned scholarly research).

CHSR is leading the evaluation of this work, including examining program implementation, impact, outcomes, and sustainability. Activities include student and faculty surveys, interviews and focus groups, and examination of administrative data. CHSR will also build dashboards allowing for visual examination of baseline and annual data to determine areas of success and areas needing additional support.

CHSR conducted an evaluation of six human service departments within Albany County: Department of Social Services, Department of Probation, Department of Health, Department of Mental Health, Department for Aging, and Department for Children, Youth, and Families.

The purpose of this evaluation was to provide county leadership with an assessment of the operations of six county-level human services departments. Utilizing a comprehensive document review, interviews with departmental leaders, and a staff survey, CHSR developed an organizational structure of each department, logic models to outline departmental goals and objectives, and benchmark measures to assist departments in monitoring outcomes on a yearly basis. Additionally, the evaluation gathered data and feedback regarding each department’s current engagement in activities designed to increase equity among the residents of Albany County. This data was used to develop a strategic plan related to a county-wide equity agenda and priority areas, including goals and objectives for participating County departments.

CHSR worked with CARES, Inc.  to inform the design and evaluation of the City of Albany’s $1.5 million Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative (ESPRI) grant, aimed at developing a plan to reduce poverty in Albany. A main focus of the grant was be on increasing employment among out-of-school, unemployed youth. 

The evaluation included reviews of secondary data sources to report on youth demographics and employment trends; a literature and document review to identify best practices, available vocational assessment tools, and outcome measures; interviews with local stakeholders; and administration of electronic surveys to local stakeholders.