Table 1 Process Evaluation Objectives and Research Questions

Developing a program theory

What are the components of the intervention?

What are the causal assumptions underpinning the program?

How is the program intended to be delivered?

Implementation

What resources are involved in program implementation?

To what extent is the program implemented as intended over time and across settings?

How do key stakeholders, including program developments and implementers and parent participants, participate in and respond to the intervention?

Are there any barriers and challenges to program implementation?

Context

What are the characteristics of the service environment in which the PIN program is delivered?

What are the broader conditional factors which impact on key stakeholders’ experiences?

Mechanisms of impact

How do program components, persons and contexts interact to influence program implementation and related outcomes?

What generalisable lessons can be derived from the findings for the implementation of prevention and early intervention programs?