ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the evaluation and implementation of the Family and Community Compact program in Kent County, Michigan and highlights the role of participatory action research. Inspired by the use of family group conferencing in New Zealand, funds were applied for and received from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to develop the Family and Community Compact program. The Kent County evaluation follows the Newfoundland-Labrador example. A "core team" made up of people from the county public child welfare agency, foundations, the family court, and the larger community guides the evaluation and facilitates program implementation. The core team reviews evaluation findings as they are presented and considers program changes. The evaluators provided each member of the core team of community representatives with a list of traditional child welfare measures. Core team members indicated the relevance of these measures and suggested ways to define and implement them for the Kent County evaluation.
