Child-focused evaluation: Involving children as their own respondents

Abstract

Background: Undertaking child-focused evaluations using a participatory approach has received recognition in recent years. Such an approach is critical not only to build capacity amongst children and youth but also to increase the rigour, validity and usefulness of evaluation findings. Objectives: The current paper builds on the methods used in a longitudinal evaluation of a parenting programme on reintegration outcomes of children, ages 1–13 years, living in residential care facilities in Uganda. The procedures used to select and modify measures to enable 8–13-year-old children to self-report on their own outcomes are described. Method: Using a grounded theory of child development, the authors describe the data collection protocols and child-friendly measures used as well as the piloting work that was done by engaging children in the feedback process. Results: The study underscored the importance of adapting hybrid methods to the local context of a child-focused evaluation, especially in collecting data from young children on sensitive topics across a variety of situations. Conclusion: The process described in this article can be replicated for designing and conducting evaluations that are child centric and have children as informants of their own well-being. Contribution: The article contributes to a growing body of knowledge on child-focused evaluations by building on a study conducted in Uganda that focused on developing child-centric measures and data collection procedures. This study shows how to involve children as respondents and assists evaluators to design studies that are ethical, safe, and sensitive to the needs of the children.