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Assessing Client Satisfaction
Measures of client satisfaction are a valuable
source of feedback for practitioners, administrators and policy makers
on service efficacy and provision dimensions (such as cultural
sensitivity and client involvement in decision making). Although a
family member's level of satisfaction with a service or provider is
not always a definitive measure of service quality, it does serve as a
valuable resource in understanding and evaluating the effects of
services on children and families and can enrich and assist in the
interpretation of administrative and clinical outcome information. For
example, if clients in a particular neighborhood are increasingly
unable to meet their goals, a client satisfaction survey might reveal
that the closest substance abuse treatment center doesn't provide
day care or doesn't serve women. A survey of clients in another
neighborhood demonstrating family reunification increases might reveal
an excellent public transportation system and family oriented
outpatient services. How agencies decide to link client satisfaction
to other outcome measurement information will depend upon the purpose
of the analysis.
Several resources are available to
assist clients in the selection, development and/or administration of
client satisfaction measures. Measurement
of Client Satisfaction: The State of the Art
(Harris and Poertner, 1998)
(See cfrcwww.social.uiuc.edu/pubs/pubs1.htm) focuses on the identification of recent
measures of client satisfaction and examines them in terms of their
ability to reflect clients' actual needs, the dimensions of
satisfaction they are intended to measure, and their ability to obtain
useful data from clients. The authors identified 34 client
satisfaction studies published between 1990 and 1996 and categorized
the instruments used in these studies by:
-
Source employed to develop the
instrument (clients, professionals, or the professional
literature)
-
Types of services that were evaluated
-
Dimensions of satisfaction
Methodological issues concerning the measurement
of client satisfaction are also discussed. Managers may find the
following additional references useful in their work.
Additional
References for
Assessing Client Satisfaction
Aldgate, J., Stein,
M., & Carey, K. (1989). The contribution of young people and their
families towards improving foster family care. In J. Aldgate, A.
Maluccio, & C. Reeves (Eds.), Adolescents in foster families,
(pp. 61-76). Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.
Allen, R. I., &
Petr, C.G. (1996). Toward developing standards and measurements for
family centered practice in family support programs. In G.H.S. Singer,
L.E. Powers, & A.L. Olson (Eds.), Redefining family support:
Innovations in public-private partnerships. Baltimore, MD: Paul H.
Brookes Publishing.
Attkinsson, C.C. & Greenfield, T.K. (1994). Client satisfaction
questionnaire - 8 and service satisfaction scale - 30. In M.E.
Maruish (Ed.), The use of psychological testing for treatment
planning and outcome assessment. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.
Barth, R.P. (1990). On
their own: The experience of youth after foster care. Child and
Adolescent Social Work, 7(5), 419-440.
Burchard, J. &
Bruns, E. (1993). Youth satisfaction/involvement and unconditional
care questionnaire. A user's guide to weekly adjustment indicator
checklist. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of
Psychology.
Bush, M. & Gordon,
A.C. (1982). The case for involving children in child welfare
decisions. Social Works, 4, 309-14.
Carrizosa, S.,
Poertner, J., & Knutson, L. (19__). Home Visitor Satisfaction
Survey. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas, School of Social
Welfare.
Colton, M. (1989).
Foster and residential children's perceptions of their social
environments. British Journal of Social Work, 19, 217-233.
Curran, M. &
Pecora, P. (1994). Involving youth in family foster care in
consumer evaluation studies: A literature review and sample questions.
Seattle, WA: The Casey Family Program.
Ellsworth, R. B.
(1975). Consumer feedback in measuring the effectiveness of mental
health programs. In M. Guttentag & E.L. Struening (Eds.), Handbook
of evaluation research (Vol. 2). Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Publishing.
Festinger, T. (1983). No
one ever asked us.A postscript to foster care. New York, NY:
Columbia University Press.
Garbarino, J., Stott,
F.M., & the Erickson Institute (1989). What children can tell
us. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass, Inc.
Godley, S. H. (1995). Plan
for statewide parental and youth consumer satisfaction survey.
Bloomington, IL: Lighthouse Institute.
Grimes, S. (1996). Parent
Satisfaction Survey: Residential program. Park Ridge, IL: The
Youth Campus.
Grimes, S. (1996). Parent
Satisfaction Survey: Treatment foster care. Park Ridge, IL: The
Youth Campus.
Hampson, R. B. &
Tavormina, J.B. (1980). Feedback from the experts: A study of foster
mothers. Social Work, 25(2), 108-113.
Johnson, P., Yoken,
C., & Voss, R. (1995). Family foster care placement: The child's
perspective. Child Welfare, 74(5), 959-974.
LeProhn, N. &
Pecora, P. (1994). The Casey Foster Parent Study: Research summary.
Seattle, WA: The Casey Family Program.
Nguyen, T.D.,
Attkisson, C.C., & Stegner, B.L. (1983). Assessment of patient
satisfaction: Development and refinement of a service evaluation
questionnaire. Evaluation and Program Planning, 6, 299-213.
Pecora, P., Bartlome,
J.A., Magana, V.L., & Sperry, C.K. (1991). How consumers view
intensive family preservation services. In M.W. Fraser, P.J. Pecora,
& D.A. Haapala, (Eds.), Families in Crisis, (pp. 273-288).
New York, NY: Aldine de Gruyter.
Pamperin, B.F. &
Bailey, B. Parent Education Program Evaluation. Menomorrie, WI:
University of Wisconsin, Department of Social Science.
Reid, P.N. &
Gundlach, J.H. (1993). A scale for the measurement of consumer
satisfaction with social services. Journal of Social Service
Research, 7(1), 37-54
Southward, K. K.
(1995). Community Treatment Home Program Evaluation Staff Input
Survey for Youths. Chicago, IL: Children's Home & Aid
Society of Illinois.
Southward, K. K.
(1995). Community Treatment Home Program Evaluation 1996 Client
Satisfaction Survey for Youths. Chicago, IL: Children's Home
& Aid Society of Illinois.
Southward, K.K.
(1995). Design overview of the Parent Survey for CHASI Child Day
Care Programs. Chicago, IL: Children's Home & Aid Society of
Illinois.
Stewart, D.W. & Shamdasani, P.N. (1990). Focus
groups, Theory and practice. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
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