Toward Evaluation in Public Services: Getting Past the Barriers

Evaluation of public programs in mental health and in other fields is often blocked when “reasons not to” are cited. These include “HIPAA,” “IRB,” “not my job,” “it’s already evidence based,” “we know what’s right,” “we don’t know enough,” “we don’t have baseline data,” and “there’s too much to do.” Examining these reasons, the values thought to justify them, and possible ways to respond will facilitate evaluation research.