Theory of Change: Uncovering the Blackbox of Social Programmes

INTRODUCTION

In social services, it is important to not only assess whether a programme works, but to understand how it works. This can be done by mapping out the programme’s theory of change. A theory of change is “an explicit theory or model of how an intervention, such as a project, a program, a strategy, an initiative, or a policy, contributes to a chain of intermediate results and finally to the intended or observed outcomes.” (Funnel & Rogers, 2011, p. xix) . A theory of change describes how change occurs logically from the programme to its intended outcomes, and how these outcomes can be attained. It plays an essential role in programme planning, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination. It is therefore important for social service professionals who are involved in programming to acquire the knowledge and skills to create and use theories of change effectively.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The course will equip participants with the knowledge and skills to create theories of change for social propgrammes. After completing this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Define what is a theory of change
• Explain the role of a theory of change in social programming
• Create a theory of change for a social programme.

COURSE CONTENT

• Definition of theory of change
• Relevance of theory of change to programme planning, implementation, evaluation, and communication.
• Steps in creating a theory of change
• Critical appraisal of a theory of change  

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Social service professionals who are involved in planning, implementing, evaluating, and communicating about programmes, interventions, and services. Anyone who is interested in learning about theory of change

AWARD

Participants who meet 80% class attendance will be awarded a Certificate of Accomplishment by the Academy of Human Development.

COURSE FEES

TRAINER

Mr Lim Wei Loong is a full-time researcher at Fei Yue Community Services, where he is actively involved in supporting the utilisation of research to inform practice. Having had more than ten years of experience conducting research in the practice context, Wei Loong understands the challenges social service agencies (SSAs) faced in utilising and conducting research for practice purposes. This has enabled him to deliver research trainings that are responsive to realities on the ground. Wei Loong is also a member of the Research Community of Practitioners.

Wei Loong holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Melbourne, a Masters of Philosophy in Social and Developmental Psychology from the University of Cambridge, and a Graduate Diploma of Social Sciences (Professional Counselling) from Swinburne University. He has graduated from University of Oxford with a Masters of Science in Evidence Based Health Care. Due to his outstanding dissertation in the subject of Evidence-Based Healthcare, he was awarded the 2021 Gillian Nicholls Prize.

Wei Loong has also been a full time polytechnic lecturer. He currently holds associate positions at a polytechnic and a local university, teaching research methods and supervising students’ research projects. He has also taught developmental psychology and social programme evaluation for other Academy of Human Development courses. Besides, he provides in-house research and programme evaluation trainings for researchers and practitioners.

APPLICATION and ENQUIRIES

Dave Goh

6593 5284

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