High quality, practical and effective program evaluations.

Since 1992, Astwood has provided high quality evaluation services to government departments, non-profit agencies, corporations and others for programs with operating budgets ranging in size from $100,000 to over $50 million and with evaluation budgets ranging in size from $10,000 to over $500,000. Astwood has expertise in both qualitative and quantitative evaluations and is expert in monitoring, process, impact and cost effectiveness evaluation, utlizing a wide variety of approaches and tools. Areas of expertise include:

Featured evaluations are highlighted below. Please see Engagements for a summary of other evaluation projects undertaken or completed by Astwood.

	Principal Investigators, Waterloo Region Street Gang Prevention Program, National Crime Prevention Centre of Public Safety Canada: Astwood is conducting a $190,000, 42-month impact evaluation of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council's $3.4 million street gang prevention and gang renunciation program based on the acclaimed Spergel Model. Evaluation will include delayed treatment group comparison population.
	Process and Monitoring Evaluation Consultants, Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council for their $3.4 million NCPC-funded program, Waterloo Region Street Gang Prevention Program: Astwood is developing, implementing and managing a $90,000, 3-year process and monitoring evaluation of this street gang prevention and gang renunciation program based on the acclaimed Spergel Model, which includes the participation of multiple community partners including the John Howard Society, Reaching Our Outdoor Friends (ROOF), Lutherwood, St. Mary's Counselling and Waterloo Regional Police Service.
	Principal Investigators, Youth Opportunities Strategy and Youth Challenge Fund, Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services: Astwood is conducting a $350,000, 18-month, 10-person monitoring evaluation of 150 community-based youth engagement and intervention programs funded under a $65+ million provincial fund. This includes evaluation of Province’s Youth in Policing Initiative, Summer Jobs for Youth program, the Youth Outreach Worker program and the Youth Challenge Fund, the latter operated by the United Way of Greater Toronto.
	Principal Researchers, Youth Options for Success program, operated by the Niagara Citizens Advisory Committee:  Funded by the NCPC for four years, Astwood is conducting quasi-experimental design process, impact and cost effectiveness evaluation of this program operated from Hamilton to Fort Erie which is modelled after American G.R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance Education and Training) program. Evaluating school-based prevention curriculum, families program and gang exit program.
	Evaluation Advisors, St. Leonard's Society of Toronto: assisting organization in planning for four year evaluation of acclaimed SNAP program, funded by the National Crime Prevention Centre. Providing services including monitoring and process evaluation database review, design and development of monitoring and process evaluation framework, counsel on data quality management and other ad hoc advisory assistance.
	Principal Investigators, Youth Worker Training Initiative operated by the Canadian Training Institute and funded under Health Canada’s Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund (DSCIF): Conducting two-year process and monitoring evaluation of the training and awareness program which will see upwards of 1,000 youth workers in the City of Toronto trained in issues of drug awareness, drug identification, pharmacological effects of illicit drugs, drugs prevention, etc.
	Principal Investigators, Breaking the Cycle program operated by the Canadian Training Institute: On behalf of the NCPC, completed an Evaluability Assessment of this gang prevention and exit program, set in two priority communities of Toronto including Rexdale and Scarborough.