(a) Of the funds appropriated in the Budget Act of 1998 for purposes of this chapter, not less than one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) shall be used for research and program evaluation. The Office of Child Abuse Prevention shall maximize its research capacity by using these funds to match foundation or university research and program evaluation grants.
(b) The department shall be responsible for performing an evaluation of the programs under this chapter. In conjunction with participating research entities, the department shall develop a research design methodology that describes data collection, data validation, and research techniques to be used in conducting the program evaluation, and the extent to which related evaluation research will be incorporated. Focus areas to measure whether outcomes for families and children are improved may relate to all or some of the following:
(1) Child well-being.
(2) Child protective services.
(3) Foster care.
(4) Family preservation and self-sufficiency.
(5) Parental or child involvement in the justice system.
(6) School achievement.
(7) Substance abuse.
(8) Parental employment.
(Added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 329, Sec. 41. Effective August 21, 1998.)