Research & Evaluation
CTYS is well known within the social service sector for being at the forefront of issues affecting youth, including such controversial issues as youth gangs, violence in schools, child abuse, street youth and HIV. Our research has often been broad-based and collaborative.
Quality improvement and program evaluation
CTYS views continuous quality improvement as indispensable to the development, assessment and evaluation of our programs. It is a powerful tool that ensures our programs and services continually meet the needs of young people. We are committed to program evaluation because it drives the agency’s innovation.
CTYS regularly gathers input from various stakeholders, including clients and referring professionals. This is an important part of our evaluation process because it provides an opportunity for young people who use our services to give us first hand input on their experiences at CTYS. Among our quality improvement tools are the following.
CAFAS: CTYS participates in the administration of this Ministry of Child and Youth Services-mandated program outcome assessment measure. The aggregated data we receive back from CAFAS in Ontario at the Hospital for Sick Kids are analyzed further in house to produce program specific results. These results help us continually improve our models of service delivery.
Client Quality Survey: gives us valuable feedback to help us maintain the relevance and effectiveness of our programs.
Consultations with community partners: these consultations bring together social workers, medical staff, child protection workers, professionals in the criminal justice system, and government officials to conduct a detailed review of all of our programs, procedures and services.
New program evaluation initiatives are focused on our school-based programs with the development of program logic models and evaluation frameworks.
These valuable inputs help us strengthen the agency and improve the programs and services we offer.
Research
CTYS is well known within the social service sector for being at the forefront of issues affecting youth, including such controversial issues as youth gangs, violence in schools, child abuse, street youth and HIV. Our research has often been broad-based and collaborative.
Families in TRANSition: the first comprehensive Canadian publication to address the needs of parents and families supporting their trans children. This comprehensive guide summarizes the experiences, strategies, and successes of a working group of community consultants – researchers, counsellors, community leaders, parents, as well as trans youth themselves.
Families in TRANSition provides practical and sensitive parent-to-parent and professional therapeutic advice, and anticipates and addresses common questions and concerns. The guide offers accurate, up-to-date information on terminology, health, and issues related to TRANSition, and suggests to families important ways they can take care of themselves and one another through this challenging and critical time. Families in TRANSition also lists relevant local resources for continued youth and family support towards strengthening families.
The Development of Sexual Behaviour Problems in Children and Youth: this inter-agency research program examined gaps in knowledge about children and youth with sexual behaviour difficulties.
Youth Gangs On Youth Gangs: commissioned by the federal government. The report looked at youth gangs in Toronto and southern Ontario through first hand accounts from young people involved in these groups.
Youth-Gender Action Project Y-GAP: a community-based research project among CTYS, Pride & Prejudice, and Rebecca Hammond of Dalhousie University, which was funded through the Ontario HIV Treatment Network. The project was committed to understanding and improving the lives of trans youth living in Toronto and across Ontario through identifying gaps in knowledge about their lives and in current program/service delivery.