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   Arapahoe House Administrative Offices   •   8801 Lipan Street   •   Thornton, Colorado 80260   •   303.657.3700


 

Colorado Social Research Associates

Colorado Social Research Associates

The mission of Colorado Social Research Associates is to research, evaluate, and contribute findings in the fields of social and behavioral sciences. 

Colorado Social Research Associates (CSRA), the program evaluation arm of Arapahoe House, oversees all research, program evaluation, and quality assurance activities for the agency. In addition,  CSRA works with human service providers, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities seeking an experienced research team to design and implement research and evaluation. Our primary goal is to support effective human services. Our focus is to provide research and evaluation to improve programs and practice.

Services Offered by CSRA

CSRA offers free initial consultations to individuals and agencies seeking to determine what their research and program evaluation needs are or those who are exploring evaluation designs for grant funding. Please Contact Us for a brochure or for more information regarding how we might work with you.

Research and Evaluation Design:

  • Outcome and process design plans capture the information you need about the effectiveness of your program as well as information about the services that individuals and families receive.
  • Instruments and sampling plans that are culturally sensitive and demographically appropriate for your clientele and practical to implement are key to measuring the strengths and weaknesses of programs.
  • Project logic or causal models can be used to communicate to funders, referral agencies, and employees your expectations about the clients, services, context, theories, and outcomes of individual projects or programs.
  • Research and evaluation plans written for Federal, State and Local grant applications are systematically designed and delivered on time for each grant application based on your program, the outcomes you hope to achieve, and the level of rigor required by the funding entity.
  • Quality assurance program design and monitoring can assist organizations in meeting regulatory and other standards related to monitoring program effectiveness in an ongoing manner. CSRA staff are equipped to assist in developing quality assurance plans and procedures that are tailored to the needs and resources of your organization.
  • Institutional Review Board protocol applications, when necessary for the protection of people participating in research, can be prepared by staff trained in federal and local confidentiality and research standards such as those outlined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and confidentiality and human subjects protection regulations in  the Code of Federal Regulations (42 CFR 2; 45 CFR 46).

Data Collection, Management, and Analysis:

  • Oversight structure that CSRA can direct through Steering Committees including your key staff, program recipients, and other stakeholders will ensure that the study stays on target with your expectations and goals.
  • Conducting face-to-face research interviews and tracking participants across time requires expertise, sensitivity and persistence to collect the valid data and achieve the adequate study retention rates needed to provide a clear picture of the long-term strengths of your programs. With 20 years of experience in this area (Who We Are), we have developed numerous techniques that have helped us to contact as many participants as possible for each study. We have an excellent record of gathering follow-up data from populations who are difficult to track, such as those with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders, adolescents, and homeless individuals.
  • Database design, data entry, and database cleaning conducted regularly by trained staff and monitored by experienced supervisors ensure that we record information on your program recipients in an efficient, accurate manner.
  • Statistical analysis and interpretation provided by our staff and associates are presented professionally, yet with a sensitivity to the interests and needs of administrators and clinicians.

Dissemination:

  • Interim and final reports provide employees, funders, and regulatory agencies with crucial information about the study design, program recipients, and outcomes of your program or service.
  • Oral presentations allow for more informal interaction with administrators and clinicians regarding the study findings and offer more alternatives for visual displays of the results.
  • Feedback presented to your clinical staff by CSRA staff with clinical backgrounds can help you enhance the effectiveness of programs and services by understanding what works and what needs improvement.

For more information, please visit our website: www.coloradosocialresearchassociates.org