Developing an Outcome Evaluation Framework for play@home

Abstract

Background: This report explores the feasibility of and rationale for the design of an Outcome Evaluation Framework aimed at assessing the impact of the play@home scheme on the scheme’s four main objectives: physical activity, movement skills, cognitive/language development, and parent-child bonding. The project was conducted in two interlocking phases. The first phase of “research” involved a scoping and review of the outcome evaluation literature alongside direct consultation with stakeholders (implementers, play@home coordinators) about current levels of outcome evaluation practice in the schemes. The second phase comprised the production of a draft “best practice” outcome evaluation framework, in conjunction with the expert judgements of measurement domain-specific outcome evaluation experts, the views of stakeholders and the advice of a Health Sciences statistician, experienced in the evaluation of complex interventions