by Reena Carvalho

Don Bosco Youth-at-Risk (YaR) Forum Homelink Network National Team conducted a two days workshop on 6 -7 December 2019 at Don Bosco Provincial House, Matunga-Mumbai on the topic “Giving life to data through research and analysis”. 23 participants along with 7 Directors from across Mumbai Province - Shelter Don Bosco -Wadala,

Don Bosco Balprafulta -Matunga, Don Bosco Snehalaya –Vadodara, Navsarjan -Surat, Sneha Sagar - Malad, Anmol -Uttan and Margaret Bosco Bal Sadan –Goa participated in the programme.

Homelink consists of proprietary internet-based software-ChildMISS, conceived and developed by the YaR Forum to gather information on children at risk throughout India, to monitor and document each child who receives services from Don Bosco centers and on the street. This helps in a focused and goal oriented intervention planning and implementation. Over the years the system has been subject to consistent updates and improvements.

The workshop started with Father Gregory D’Almeida Hub Director of Mumbai Provincewelcoming the participants and speaking on the importance of data and documentation .The workshop's main focus was on Documentation System and Strategic Evaluation of the organization on the basis of data entered by the organization in the tool .A research approach orientation was discussed in order to implement target group intervention strategic. Day 2 was focused on training and helping the staff in generating various types of service based reports to understand the efforts put by the organisation in the services provided.