5 Mid-way progress: review Steps 2 and 3
When planning a health promotion intervention that is designed to take place over a period of time, decisions about dates and activities can seem realistic. However, as we know, other events can happen that make dates unachievable. Colleagues may hand in their notice, or there may be staff absence, or any other event that comes along can all affect the best-laid plans. Sometimes, plans can become too ambitious, or they simply may not work in the way that was intended. For this reason, Step 4 is a mid-way review of the progress of the intervention, it’s an opportunity to stop and take stock of how the intervention is going; to reflect on progress, identify any barriers or challenges to success, identify solutions, for us to work together and if necessary, for the researcher to offer further support and plan next steps.
- What has gone well?
- Is there anything that could have gone better?
- Were there any specific barriers or challenges?
- If so, how were they resolved?
- What do you think the children think about the intervention?
- How have you worked with parents and carers?
- What are your predictions about the success of the intervention?
- Any other comments?
Evaluating an intervention is important to identify what worked and what didn’t work so well. The views of the practitioners who used the Toolkit and the 5 steps will be returned to in the following two sessions.