Program Evaluation in a Residential Youth Care Facility: The Case of Project PATCH

Well-designed program evaluations can be useful tools for organizations and agencies in both the business and social service sectors; they help organizations make important assessments about the strengths and weaknesses of their programs, areas in which their programs are meeting their goals, and areas in which their programs can be improved (Hoefer, 1994; Pfeiffer & Shott, 1996). Such evaluations have been conducted successfully in a number of residential treatment facilities (Bidgood & Pancer, 2001; Blackman, Eustace, & Chowdhury, 1991; Busch, 2003; Cote, Harris, & Vipond, 1986; Richardson, 1992) and have provided administrators and staff with valuable knowledge on how to improve their programs and services