FRIENDS National Center is pleased to announce the release of a joint brief, Selecting a Family Support and Strengthening Program Assessment Tool: An Overview for Program Leaders and Funders.  This brief was produced in collaboration with the FRIENDS National Center, The Center for the Study of Social Policy and The National Network of Family Support and Strengthening Networks.  The intent is to inform the work of various community-based programs in selecting an appropriate program assessment tool.  The brief provides an overview of the tools available from each organization and provides insight into various areas such as:

1)Tool cost

2)Training available

3)Time to complete the tool

4)Technical Assistance available

5)Data tracking support

6)Contact information for the tool developers

In addition to the information provided in the brief, The FRIENDS web site also provides additional, in-depth supporting materials at www.friendsnrc.org/program-assessment.   Those materials include fact sheets on each tool, a matrix on understanding the approach of each tool, an overview of Why Program Assessment Matters to both community programs and funders as well as scenarios that help organizations make decisions about the best tool for them.