NCJ Number
207023
Date Published
September 2003
Length
150 pages
Annotation
This report presents the evaluation methodology and findings for San Diego County's (California) WINGS program, a program for juvenile female probationers intended to support and empower them and their families in accessing and receiving appropriate services.
Abstract
WINGS clients were assigned a home visitor within 3 days of the service provider receiving a referral from the probation department. The home visitors acted as case managers and facilitators of change, and they developed comprehensive case plans that addressed the needs of the girls and their families. Clients were provided a comprehensive battery of no-cost services through a multidisciplinary team model that combined home visiting and center-based services. Both a process evaluation (Was the program implemented as planned?) and an impact evaluation (Did the program achieve its intended results?) were conducted. The process evaluation collected data from a variety of sources, and the impact evaluation focused on various outcomes, including reduction in risk factors and recidivism. The impact evaluation, which was conducted between April 2000 and September 2003, used a true experimental design that involved 798 girls who were randomly assigned to participate in WINGS or to "treatment as usual" (regular probation/diversion). The process evaluation found that WINGS was implemented to be family-focused, gender-responsive, center-based, and with the home visits conducted as planned. The impact evaluation found that clients who completed the program had more protective factors and fewer risk factors at exit than the comparison group. There was little difference in recidivism between the treatment and comparison groups, but WINGS girls were more likely to complete probation and less likely to have an institutional commitment during program participation. 11 tables, 33 figures, and 21 references