 |
To help you achieve success in improving the problem identified in Phase 1, it is necessary to identify what you want to happen as a result of your child injury prevention project/program (goal) and how you will get there (objectives and strategies).
A goal is a statement that clearly describes the long term improvement/change in the problem that you ultimately want to achieve by running the project/program. [39]
Specific - specifying what is to be achieved i.e. the problem (eg. scalds), who it is to be achieved with (eg. parents of children aged 0-4 years) and where (eg. child care centre).[39]
Measurable - able to be measured, usually the nature and amount of change within a given time frame[39 ] (eg. decrease scalds by 10% or increase the number of hot water tempering valves installed by 2010)
Achievable - achievable and attainable.[39]
Realistic - realistically possible within available resources.[39]
Timely - able to accomplish the change within the time allocated [39] (eg. in months or years)
You will need to choose sources of data to use for measuring progress in achieving the goals and objectives of your child injury prevention project/program.
In order to write your goal you can flip over the problem to the opposite, (ie. you look at what you want to happen) and this becomes your goal Flip.
For example the child injury problem in Gum Tree City Council between 1998 and 2006 was that 126 children under the age of five presented to the Emergency Department with a hot tap water scald injury and 6 were admitted to hospital.
Flip it over to the opposite
An example of a goal that does not meet the S.M.A.R.T. elements
To reduce scalds in children.
This is not S.M.A.R.T. because the following has not been defined:
An example of a S.M.A.R.T. goal
By December 2010, to reduce the number of hot tap water scalds by 10% in children aged 0-4 years living in the Gum Tree City Council area.
The achievement of goals is measured by outcome evaluation.
An objective describes the changes you want to bring out in the in the target group or problem.[39] They relate to the risk factors and causes of the problem and are the smaller steps to achieving your goals. You will more than likely have a number of objectives to help you to achieve your goal. Like goals, objectives need to be S.M.A.R.T.
Objectives can be informed by a combination of what is being done already and by the evidence of what works.
Therefore, objectives can cover filling the gaps, building on what is already being done and using the following well known and accepted injury prevention models:
In order to write your objective you can flip over the risk factor or cause of the problem to the opposite, (ie. you decide what will help fix it) and these will become your objectives.
For example the child injury problem in Gum Tree City Council is hot tap water scalds in children 0-4 years and it is that houses built pre-1998 are not required by the plumbing and drainage code to install hot water tempering devices. In addition, from the community survey we know that the community was unaware of how serious this problem is.
Flip it over to the opposite
Behavioural (Active) Objectives
An example of an objective that does not meet the S.M.A.R.T. elements
To increase plumbers awareness and knowledge of childhood scalds
An example of a S.M.A.R.T. objective
Within 4 weeks of running a plumbers childhood scalds prevention awareness session with the Master Plumbers Association of Gum Tree, session participants will be able to identify the main consequences of hot tap water scalds and 4 plumbing changes that can be recommended to clients to reduce scalds.
Environmental (Passive) Objectives
An example of an objective that does not meet the S.M.A.R.T. elements
To increase the number of homes that have installed a hot water tempering valve.
An example of a S.M.A.R.T. objective
By 2010, to increase the number of existing homes (excluding new homes built since May 1998) that have installed one type of hot water temperature control device from baseline (n = 1300 homes) to 2,600 homes in the Gum Tree City Council area.
The achievement of objectives is measured by impact evaluation.
A strategy is what you are going to provide or deliver in your project/program. The strategy will state what and how you are going to achieve your objective. [39] (eg. running the plumber education sessions, promote tempering valves).
Effectiveness of strategies is measured by process evaluation.
In order to achieve your strategies, there will be a series of actions (eg. develop the plumber's education session, liaise with Plumbers Association, invite guest speaker, promote the session etc) that you will need to determine:
The diagram shows how strategies lead to achieving your objectives, which will ultimately lead you to your goal. Always try and keep a 'line of sight' between your strategies, objectives and goals.
Other languages