INTERNAL EVALUATION - INTEGRATING EVALUATION AND SOCIAL-WORK-PRACTICE

Internal evaluation involves the use of internal staff to evaluate pro grams or issues of direct relevance to an organization. The use of int ernal evaluation has been growing rapidly during the last decade. Neve rtheless, there is a serious gap in knowledge about internal evaluatio n, especially for human service and non-governmental organizations. Th is paper begins by examining internal evaluation within the discourse of a ''new vision'' of evaluation that links evaluation closely to man agement and practice. The paper explores the unique characteristics of internal evaluation, its strengths and weaknesses, the process of int ernal evaluation, steps in developing internal evaluation capacity, st rategies for effective internal evaluation, and positive and negative roles of internal evaluators. It concludes with a look at some recent developments in the evolution of internal evaluation.