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. The Council implemented 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. JBA conducted the local evaluation of the program’s implementation and outcomes.

In 2022, the Council received a new version of the grant to implement a similar intervention, the Connected and Strong Native Families program. JBA is again conducting the local evaluation of the program. Tasks involved in the mixed-methods process and outcome evaluation include—

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