The Child-centred Family Law Strategy,
Summative Evaluation
7. COST EFFECTIVENESS
As part of the evaluation, two questions related to the cost-effectiveness of the Strategy were addressed:
- To what extent are the Strategy’s resource levels appropriate? Is there a need to reallocate funds among the activities within the Strategy or to other uses?
- Is the CCFLS the most appropriate means of achieving the intended objectives? Are there more cost-effective ways of delivering the existing Strategy?
It should be cautioned that the cost-effectiveness component of the evaluation is descriptive in nature and not an assessment of the cost associated with achieving net impacts, as the information available did not allow for this type of analysis.
Approximately 5% of the resources available for the Strategy are spent on administration.
As summarized in Table 7-1, approximately 5% of the resources available for the Strategy are dedicated to its administration, overall, and 5% of the grants and contributions expenditure to deliver the programs component.
| Strategy Component | 2003-2004 | 2004-2005 | 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 | 2007-2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants & Contributions Expenditure | 16,159,000 | 16,079,500 | 16,244,855 | 16,050,027 | 16,050,027 |
| Program Delivery Administration | 603,056 | 858,464 | 868,463 | 858,464 | 861,464 |
| % of Grants and Contributions | 4% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Total CCFLS Budget | 25,385,447 | 25,012,113 | 24,218,359 | 23,627,967 | 23,128,246 |
| Administration Corporate | 1,061,480 | 871,480 | 832,480 | 793,480 | 686,480 |
| 592,216 | 536,827 | 482,776 | 467,254 | 441,904 | |
| % of CCFLS Budget | 6% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 4.6% |
Source: Department of Justice IFMS data
A review of initiatives in the United States did not reveal a federal approach comparable to the CCFLS. In fact, federal initiatives appear to focus on promoting “healthy marriages” to avoid separation and divorce, and deal with issues facing children and youth separately. Grants are distributed to applicants on a case-by-case basis. Mediation and alternative resolution options are available in some states. Due to a lack of cost information about these initiatives and the fundamental difference in the approach taken between Canada and the United States, it was not possible to determine whether costs to administer the CCFLS are similar, lower or higher than for comparable strategies and programs.
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