Evaluation of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council Regional Partnership Grant

Alaska’s population is concentrated in the south around Cook Inlet, an area that includes Alaska Native and American Indian people residing in Anchorage and in tribal villages.

The Cook Inlet Tribal Council offers culturally responsive social services throughout the region. In 2017, the council received a federal grant to support children involved in the child welfare system due to parental substance use. JBA conducted a local evaluation of the program’s implementation and outcomes.

The council is implementing the Team Decision Making Enhancement for Strong Native Families, a regional interagency collaboration to enhance the safety and well-being of children through coordinated services. The mixed-methods evaluation examined that intervention along with a comparison group of families participating in a standard team decision-making model. Tasks included—

• Developing and pilot testing surveys, measures, and fidelity instruments
• Managing evaluation tracking databases
• Providing weekly web-based data training to program staff
• Presenting data dashboards to inform practice
• Conducting site visits to collect data
• Preparing institutional review board materials to obtain approvals for data collection
• Synthesizing and analyzing process and outcome data
• Sharing progress and findings