Evaluating the Delivery of a Teen Pregnancy and Parenting Program Across Two Settings

Abstract

This article describes the challenges of evaluating an ongoing social work intervention after a change in delivery setting and offers several approaches to acquiring a fuller understanding of the program differences. The Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting (TAPP) program is a case management intervention operated by Families First in DeKalb County, Georgia, that is designed to help teen mothers (a) complete a high school diploma, (b) have a healthy pregnancy and develop parenting skills, and (c) avoid additional pregnancies. This article presents intake, service, and outcome data on program participants across two delivery settings—from the program's initial public health clinic-based setting to its current public school-based setting. Overall, the work demonstrates the strengths of the school-based version of TAPP and the difficulties of assessing the true effects of an ongoing program in the agency context.