EVALUATION GUIDE

Context:

In the framework of the Victoria project, VICTims of violence Overstep Reluctance and Isolation through Adult education, professionals from San Juan de Dios centers, coming from four different countries, design in a collaborative and multidimensional way, an evaluation tool to measure and monitor the learning process and social insertion of people who have suffered violence in the past.

This qualitative instrument is the third leg of a project whose final results include a protocol for the care of people who have suffered violence and a training course in digital format, aimed at professionals in formal or informal education, where they may meet people who have suffered violence in the past.

The matrix or scale presented is a resource that helps to evaluate and describe the degree of development achieved in different dimensions or areas.  Measuring the impact of trauma on the development and integral wellbeing of the person is one of the keys to offering an educational/social response that favors the person’s recovery and social reintegration.

Tool design and internal structure.

Professionals from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, neurology, social work and education have participated in the design of this tool, aimed at educational and social personnel.

The tool is structured around four areas: Occupational Development, Social Inclusion, Psychological Well-being and finally, Learning Experience.

Within each area, different evaluation criteria have been identified, from which a set of measurable and observable indicators are derived.

How to apply the tool

The process for interpreting the data collected with the assessment tool is described below.

First, it is important to note that the analysis of the data obtained is done using a qualitative approach (not based on numerical analysis). With the analysis, a comprehensive summary of the person’s functioning in the areas collected is obtained. This summary should enable the evaluator to gain a good understanding of the level of psychosocial adaptation of the evaluee.

The fact that the analysis is performed using a qualitative approach does not imply that a methodology should not be followed. Below, we explain the steps to follow to interpret the data collected with the tool and thus obtain an optimal result that provides us with valuable information about the person being evaluated.

The interpretation is carried out in two phases:

First phase: the items/indicators selected in each of the evaluated criteria are extracted and grouped by areas (this task is performed automatically by the tool when it is filled in using the Excel document). In this way a synthetic description of the person’s functioning in each area of interest is obtained.

Second phase: the evaluator makes a brief qualitative description of each of the areas, based on the items extracted in the previous phase.

The scale can be used at different moments of the intervention process, being able to pass it for the first time at the beginning, again as an intermediate control and finally in the final stage.

Finally, it should be remembered that this tool is not oriented to diagnosis; it is an instrument that facilitates the collection of specific information and the compilation of observations. It is a useful tool to know the level of psychosocial adaptation of the person allowing professionals to make decisions that improve the quality of their response.