The SFGC study is a realist evaluation. Realist evaluations go beyond the traditional evaluation question, ‘does a programme work?’ and instead, start with the idea that most programmes will work sometimes, for some people, and under some circumstances.
Central to realist evaluation is the development and testing of a programme theory. Programme theories explain how the intervention works, that is, the chain of events that lead to various outcomes. To build programme theories, many realist researchers use the heuristic, ‘context + mechanism = outcome (CMO)’. CMOs help illustrate explanatory theories about what works, in what context and with what outcomes.
This study seeks to uncover a nuanced and contextual understanding of if and how the SFGC pathway might improve families’ and professionals’ experiences by asking, for whom in what circumstances and why SFGCs may be an appropriate alternative to ICPCs.
