::: Howard Research & Management Consulting Inc. :::

CONTRIBUTIONS

Howard Research has worked with a wide variety of public and private sector clients.

We are well known for our program evaluation work with various ministries in Western Canada, the Northwest Territories, and the federal government. In addition, we have completed a number of projects for not-for-profit organizations and corporate clients.

Howard Research has experience with a broad spectrum of project areas. Some of the important issues and topics we have recently addressed include:

Health reform

Quality of life and personal outcome measurement

Rural and community development

Social and community sustainability planning

Organizational review

Policy analysis and impact

Best practices in education

Evaluation framework and tool development

Work with diverse populations

Health Reform

Howard Research & Management Consulting Inc. has evaluated several major health reform initiatives in Alberta involving rigorous, multi-method assessments of implementation, outcomes, and impact of strategies - all to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Alberta’s health system. For example:

Integrating pharmacists into primary care networks
Improving access to primary health care
Increasing community capacity to deliver specialized services (e.g., palliative, emergency, and mental health care)
Implementing advanced medical research technologies

Mobile teams of health professionals delivering multi-disciplinary care to rural Alberta
Therapeutic intervention for children with cerebral palsy

Quality of Life and Personal Outcome Measurement

Quality of life (QOL) and personal outcome measurement is a key area of interest and research at HRMC, and we have extensive experience in the development and practical application of QOL measurement tools.

We co-publish with international experts in QOL assessment for persons with developmental disabilities and have developed and rigorously tested a QOL assessment instrument for use with this population.
We have also developed a survey instrument to assess QOL of the general population at the municipal level which has been implemented both within specific municipalities and across Alberta.
We continue to research quality of life indicators and predictors and their application to various audiences.

Rural and Community Development

Another key area of interest and research at HRMC is rural and community development. We have worked with communities across Alberta in a variety of capacities to support planning and assessment of development strategies and initiatives. Currently HRMC is conducting a comprehensive, multi-site, multi-year evaluation of Rural Alberta’s Development Fund, a multi-million dollar rural development initiative.

Evaluation is aimed at measuring impact in areas of Fund priority such as quality of life and community capacity.
Evaluation activities include calculating return on investment.
The evaluation process itself is capacity building in that it was designed to promote stakeholder understanding of evaluation activities.
The evaluation has included province-wide administration of a Community Development Assessment tool designed by HRMC to assess quality of life, community capacity, and community appeal.

Social and Community Sustainability Planning

HRMC has been involved in the development of social planning for municipalities in Alberta. For example, we have:

Developed a Social Master Plan for the Town of Cochrane, involving:
- Extensive consultation with various stakeholder groups
- A literature review of best practices
- Development of indicators and measures to assess priority action areas
Assisted the City of Medicine Hat in designing and implementing an approach to measuring citizen outcomes and well-being to assist municipal planning and tracking of change over time

Organizational Review

HRMC has expertise in conducting organizational reviews, looking at structure and functioning, across a wide array of organizations. Reviews have been conducted for organizations such as:

The Professions and Occupations Unit for Alberta Human Resources and Employment
The Alberta Centre for Well-Being
The Physician Achievement Review (PAR) program
The Physician Office System Program (POSP) (which encourages physicians to install and manage their practices’ Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems in their offices)
The City of Calgary’s immigrant serving system

Policy Analysis and Impact

HRMC has particular expertise and experience with the evaluation of policy. For example, HRMC has:

Evaluated the impact of the Alberta Administrative Licence Suspension Program, involving time series analyses of collision rates, fatality rates, charge rates, conviction rates, and other existing data sources as well as a literature review, stakeholder interviews, a media scan, and an analysis of changes in public awareness of the legislation
Developed a provincial framework and strategy to address elder abuse in Alberta
Evaluated the implementation and impact of the Alberta Protection Against Family Violence Act, involving development of a range of data collection instruments and processes including a province-wide review of Court of Queen’s Bench Emergency Protection Order files, interviews with police officers and Justices of the Peace, and community agency representatives
Conducted an environmental scan of innovative policies and programs aimed at addressing skill and labour shortages

Best Practices in Education

Through several projects involving comprehensive research in the field of education, HRMC has built a significant knowledge base in best practices in education. For example, HRMC has:

Conducted a seminal longitudinal study which identified the factors associated with ESL student achievement
Examined current literature on effective educational programming practices for pre-school children with special education needs related to mild, moderate, or severe disabilities or delays
Engaged in extensive technology integration planning in K-12 and post-secondary environments

Evaluation Framework and Tool Development

HRMC is well known for the development of evaluation frameworks and tools, such as:

A framework for systematic inquiry into the evaluation of program effectiveness and efficiency within Alberta ministries while achieving alignment and congruence of activity across ministries
A pan-Canadian Toolkit of Primary Health Care Instruments to assess progress and outcomes of primary health care including, for example, access to primary health care services and development of multi-disciplinary teams
A standardized employability assessment tool
A tool for the identification of core competencies for Dieticians practicing in Canada
A survey tool to assess quality of life of adults with developmental disabilities
A balanced scorecard approach to performance measurement for the Persons with Developmental Disabilities Edmonton Region Community Board
An evaluation framework for the Alberta Office of Statistics and Information (OSI)
An evaluation framework for health line services in the four western provinces and three northern territories
An accountability framework for the Workers’ Compensation system—the Workers’ Compensation Board, Alberta Appeals Commission, and Alberta Human Resources and Employment

Work with Diverse Populations

HRMC has worked with many diverse populations in a variety of roles.

Children, Youth, and Seniors

Developed a policy framework and strategy for Elder Abuse for the province of Alberta
Assessed Nutrition Guidelines for children and youth
Conducted a feasibility and cost analysis of a universal pre-school screening program
Conducted a three-year assessment of a strategy for healthy eating and active living for children
Developed a framework to support health regions in evaluating operations and outcomes related to young family wellness
Assessed farm safety programs, working directly with children and their parents
Conducted a study involving seniors with gambling addictions

Aboriginals and Immigrants

Conducted environmental scans and evaluations related to:

A training for employment program for First Nations people
Mobile diabetes screening for off-reserve Aboriginal communities
Immigrants in Skills Investment Programs
Immigrant services and systems in the City of Calgary

At-Risk Populations

Conducted environmental scans and evaluations related to:

U2 individuals (those unwilling and unable to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS)
Youth at risk
Victims of bullying and family violence
Safe needle exchange for street-involved people
Clients of home-based detoxification programs