Year Three Evaluation on the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS

Health Canada and Correctional Service Canada have begun the Year Three Evaluation of the CSHA. The Year Three Evaluation has the following objectives:

• to develop baselines to enable clear reporting on Strategy outcomes;
• to identify what is working well and what should be changed; and
• to test and improve the evaluation framework for the year five evaluation.

Specifically, the Year Three Evaluation will focus on the following four questions:

1. To what extent has the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS contributed to the achievement of the identified outcomes? This question should identify the Strategy's contribution to the achievement of the outcomes, while documenting baselines for future assessments of Strategy achievements.
2. What are the facilitators/barriers that enable/limit the achievement of the CSHA outcomes? The purpose of this question is to identify elements that facilitate the achievement of the CSHA outcomes and to identify elements that are barriers to the achievement of the CSHA outcomes. This question should help to identify areas that may require adjustments in policy and/or programming to ensure progress toward the achievement of the CSHA outcomes.
3. Is the CSHA investing in the appropriate areas to achieve the Strategy outcomes? The purpose of this question is to determine whether the strategic approach/plan to address HIV/AIDS is reasonable. This question should also seek to establish whether the financial distributions within the CSHA are appropriately allocated to achieve the expected outcomes. For example, given the current state of the epidemic, the limited resources available and the role and mandate of the federal government to address HIV/AIDS, are allocations within the CSHA organized appropriately to maximize impact?
4. Based on questions 1, 2 and 3 does the evaluation framework identify the information necessary to successfully complete the five-year evaluation? The purpose of this question is to assess the evaluation framework to determine whether the proposed evaluation questions, performance indicators and the data collection and analysis strategy are appropriate to enable future assessments of Strategy achievements. This question should also identify gaps in the performance measurement tools, indicators and data to ensure that the five-year evaluation is more comprehensive.

The evaluators will:

• review key CSHA documents;
• interview key Strategy stakeholders;
• conduct a questionnaire survey of approximately 200-250 recipients of CSHA funding,
• analyze past CSHA funding decisions;
• review international approaches to HIV/AIDS and recommend best practices;
• conduct case studies of a small number of selected local initiatives which will include focus on vulnerable populations and persons living with HIV/AIDS; and
• bring together a panel of experts to review and comment on the evaluation findings.

In addition, the evaluators will maintain participant confidentiality and minimize duplication with other similar processes.

The evaluation will:

• be centred around persons living with HIV/AIDS and those at risk of being infected with HIV/AIDS;
• be sensitive to local/regional issues;
• provide a balance between quantitative and qualitative information; and
• will engage Strategy partners throughout the evaluation process.

About the Evaluators

The Departmental Program Evaluation Division (DPED), Health Canada, has responsibility to conduct the CSHA Year Three Evaluation. SPR Associates has been contracted to undertake the bulk of the evaluation. In addition, Barbara Legowski has been hired to undertake an in-depth review of CSHA resource allocations.

SPR Associates is a firm specialized in evaluation studies, with offices in Toronto and Ottawa, which has conducted evaluations for federal agencies for over 20 years. Major studies include: the Evaluation of the Canadian Breast Cancer Initiative; A Patient Evaluation of Canadian Fertility Clinics (for the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies, 1995); Evaluations of the Canada Pension Plan (various Federal Departments, 1989, 1995-96, 1997); and other major studies in areas such as Urban Native Housing, Quality of Work, and Employment Equity). SPR's evaluation team is led by Dr. Ted Adam Harvey, and Ms. Sue Langton, (Toronto), assisted by Ms. Denise Roberge (Ottawa), Ms. Sylvie Baillargeon (Montreal), and other associates across Canada. Expertise in HIV/AIDS is provided by Dr. Ted Myers, University of Toronto, and others.

Barbara Legowski is an independent consultant specializing in health services research and data analysis, and in project management. Previous studies include: A Discussion Paper on Outcomes and Measurement in the Voluntary Health Sector in Canada, co-authored with Terry Albert, Canadian Policy Research Networks; Report on an International Survey of Automated Health Information Systems in Correctional Services: Insights for Correctional Services Canada; and The Economic Burden of HIV/AIDS in Canada, co-collaborator with Dr. Robert Remis and authors Terry Albert and Gregory Williams, Canadian Policy Research Networks.

For additional information please contact:
Geoff Cole
Health Canada
Departmental Program Evaluation Division
(613) 954-8914