Fostering Accountability: Using Evidence to Guide and Improve Child Welfare Policy

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Similar Items Foster care [microform]: Staff data and materials related to foster care, adoption assistance, and child welfare services under t Federally funded child welfare, foster care, and adoption assistance programs: HHS could better facilitate the interjurisdictional adoption process: Members of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Maori communities are advised that this catalogue contains names and images of deceased people. Book , Online - Google Books. Staff from HSA and Seneca participate in a specialized program mirrored and modified from the student model described previously.

The training emphasizes the leadership competencies developed by NCWWI that includes material relating to fundamental competencies, leading change, leading in context, leading people, and leading for results. In future years of the initiative, additional supervisors will be trained with the first-year participants serving as coaches.

These staff members will engage in a variety of tasks designed to familiarize them with the CQI framework, including the regular use of administrative data. Undergirding their experience will be their exposure to a leadership curriculum intended to prepare them to effectively manage child welfare reform. They learn to rely on these sources to regularly answer questions about current and historical child welfare populations, risk factors, inputs, and outcomes. Additionally, they learn how to use longitudinal data to tie practice to outcomes. With the support of the designated research liaison and the on-site child welfare researcher, managers and supervisors identify a problem and a population of interest within their sphere of influence.

In the context of their workshops, they examine the data surrounding the problem, hypothesize a theory of change, and propose a response. With access to the CCWIP website and the Data Center profile reports, they then measure their outcomes and adjust their intervention accordingly Wulczyn et al.

Students involved in Cal-CWLT work alongside managers and supervisors, and learn from them about the real-time obstacles and issues associated with implementing and measuring change initiatives.

Although child welfare managers and supervisors do not participate in a year-long research seminar alongside the Cal-CWLT students, staff are exposed to a condensed curriculum on the fundamentals of child welfare research that includes participation in many of the monthly workshops conducted in an HSA computer lab by the research liaison and the agency-based child welfare researcher.

Managers and supervisors have regular access to the on-site HSA researcher who is not only closely familiar with the data contained in the CCWIP and the Data Center as a former affiliate of both organizations but who is deeply knowledgeable about child welfare practice in California and nationally. Staff in the specialized CQI unit are available to support data collection, change implementation, and measurement review.

Managers and supervisors also have access to the research liaison to further assist them in accessing and making meaning of data for their unit, their division, or for the agency as a whole. Agency supervisors and managers facilitate the collection of information surrounding the research agenda and with the help of the CQI unit initiate operational changes necessary to integrate data collection and interpretation into all levels of practice. Using a CQI framework, agency supervisors and middle managers can use evidence to make informed adjustments to practice within HSA and Seneca.

What is the rate of uptake of those referrals? Is there a relationship between service use and outcomes? Supervisors too are in a position to use aggregated information about referrals, service use, and outcomes to help line workers with their case decisions. Child welfare agencies need to develop workable systems for feeding this type of information back to these agents for use as management tools and day-today self-assessment.

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As HSA and Seneca middle managers and supervisors participate together in the leadership academies, they will build new skills designed to vision, plan, and implement reform. With each successful cohort participating, the large majority of managers and supervisors in both organizations will be trained and supported within 5 years. This penetration into the structure of these organizations means that a new cultural standard can develop that supports the goals of the CQI framework.

The university—agency partnership described herein benefits from many natural assets that might not be present in all jurisdictions in the United States. The presence of a rich data source, enthusiastic agency leaders, deep, positive university—agency relationships, and a cadre of MSW students whose educational interests go beyond clinical social work may not be present in all counties or states. Nevertheless, in spite of these considerable benefits, any significant revision to the way social work education is delivered and the way large bureaucracies communicate comes with implementation challenges.

We discuss some of the major challenges that arose during the first year of the university—agency partnership and, consistent with the CQI approach, resulting design modifications. One change was to strengthen communication between the agency and the university. Two strategies were employed. The Cal-CWLT principal investigator on the university side and the child welfare analyst on the agency side began participating in the monthly child welfare agency management team meetings. The attendees at the meetings discuss the implementation of various interventions and other strategies designed specifically to improve the outcomes in Figure 2.

In each meeting, data on a component of agency performance are first presented and frame the ensuing discussion relating to agency renewal activities. Another adjustment was to build a time line for frequently sharing consecutive pieces of the group research project with HSA staff for feedback.

We recognized the importance of setting early expectations about engaging with staff at the outset of the project, then at regular intervals, to ensure that the work remains properly focused and learning is maximized. This approach models the CQI behavior we want to see among future child welfare leaders. It also deliberately differs from the post hoc approach that research and evaluation often takes, whereby the analyses are conducted largely in isolation of implementation and not shared with the agency until final results are complete and their relevance may have expired.

This will allow students to reflect regularly on how the line of inquiry of their research project can inform their direct or administrative practice with or on behalf of clients. The culture of public and private child welfare systems is changing. Another is the foundation Casey Family Programs, which assists states with their CQI training and implementation, and has a long-standing interest in building the capacity of child welfare agencies to understand and use data. The term is pithy and popular but it is not enough to be data driven. Managers must model the regular use of high-quality data and other forms of evidence in everyday work.

What does this look like in practice? They must be willing to make meaning of data, connect it to hypotheses, and be willing to modify existing processes when the resulting evidence suggests that the current course of action is not yielding the desired results.

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This is unlikely to occur unless managers and other leaders perceive evidence as credible and relevant. University—agency partnerships are a way to bring credibility and relevance to research for decision makers, so long as the partnerships allow the participation of service providers and policy makers in setting the research agenda, and the use of a variety of sources of evidence to form the basis for improved decision making Trocme et al.

If successful, after the 5-year grant period the Cal-CWLT initiative will have prepared 25 nascent child welfare professionals to begin practice equipped with the necessary skills to source and understand high-quality data, translate it into evidence, and be effective decision leaders in an organizational environment that values and further develops these skills.

Future publications will discuss the extent to which these graduates have begun to apply the techniques of seeking, generating, and using evidence in their work as new professionals. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. J Soc Work Educ. Author manuscript; available in PMC Oct Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. See other articles in PMC that cite the published article. Abstract The federal government increasingly expects child welfare systems to be more responsive to the needs of their local populations, connect strategies to results, and use continuous quality improvement CQI to accomplish these goals.

Open in a separate window. The cycle of CQI. A New Administrative Landscape Public agencies are not alone in the shift toward the collection and use of evidence to make better decisions. Community and Organizational Context Like most jurisdictions, San Francisco has long struggled with performance on a number of important indicators for children served in the foster care system. San Francisco foster care outcomes. Agency-assigned student research projects Prior to this partnership, student interns typically developed their own projects to fulfill their research course requirements.

Knowledge and Skill Building Reliance on a child welfare—specific research curriculum A child welfare—specific research course curriculum provides instruction on problem formulation, research design, data collection, and data analysis Lery et al. Access to agency-based child welfare researcher In addition to the research liaison, students have regular access to a child welfare researcher employed by the local public child welfare agency that gives students an unusual opportunity to receive additional consultation on their research projects as well as professional networking opportunities, particularly for students interested in pursuing public child welfare administration, policy, or research.

Leadership development through CQI The Berkeley curriculum was recently revised to focus specifically on leadership development as a core MSW competency. Use of a CQI framework With the support of the designated research liaison and the on-site child welfare researcher, managers and supervisors identify a problem and a population of interest within their sphere of influence. Knowledge and Skill Building Exposure to a child welfare—specific research curriculum Although child welfare managers and supervisors do not participate in a year-long research seminar alongside the Cal-CWLT students, staff are exposed to a condensed curriculum on the fundamentals of child welfare research that includes participation in many of the monthly workshops conducted in an HSA computer lab by the research liaison and the agency-based child welfare researcher.

Access to an agency-based child welfare researcher Managers and supervisors have regular access to the on-site HSA researcher who is not only closely familiar with the data contained in the CCWIP and the Data Center as a former affiliate of both organizations but who is deeply knowledgeable about child welfare practice in California and nationally.

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Designated research liaison Managers and supervisors also have access to the research liaison to further assist them in accessing and making meaning of data for their unit, their division, or for the agency as a whole. Leadership and Culture HSA child welfare research agenda Agency supervisors and managers facilitate the collection of information surrounding the research agenda and with the help of the CQI unit initiate operational changes necessary to integrate data collection and interpretation into all levels of practice.

Leadership academy for middle managers and supervisors As HSA and Seneca middle managers and supervisors participate together in the leadership academies, they will build new skills designed to vision, plan, and implement reform. Advancing a conceptual model of evidence-based practice implementation in public service sectors. Implementation of evidence-based practice in child welfare: Leadership, innovation climate, and attitudes toward evidence-based practice during a statewide implementation.

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• Building an Evidence-Driven Child Welfare Workforce: A University–Agency Partnership!
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Children and Youth Services Review. Unintended consequences of the push for accountability: The case of national child welfare performance standards. Learning more about how research-based knowledge gets used. Evolution of diffusion and dissemination theory.

Fostering Accountability: Using Evidence to Guide and Improve Child Welfare - Google Книги

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. Individual determinants of research utilization: Journal of Advanced Nursing. An alternative to authority-based practice. The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. Implications for knowledge development and use in social work. Rosen A, Proctor EK, editors. Developing practice guidelines for social work intervention: Issues, methods, and research agenda. Columbia University Press; Organizational influences on data use among child welfare workers. Using implementation science to improve service and practice in child welfare: Actions and essential elements.

Shlonksy A, Benbenishty R, editors. From evidence to outcomes in child welfare: Oxford University Press; National Child Welfare Workforce Institute. Toward a research agenda for understanding and improving the use of research evidence. A historical analysis of evidence-based practice in social work: The unfinished journey toward an empirically grounded profession. Improving public child welfare agency performance in the context of the federal child and family service reviews.

Evaluating dissemination of research evidence in public youth-serving systems. Schuerman JR, Needell B. The Child and Family Services Review composite scores: Accountability off the track. Title IV-E foster care eligibility reviews and child and family services state plan reviews: Supporting evidence-based management in child protection.

The uses of research in policy and practice. Aug 27, Retrieved from http: Improving the use of research in social care practice. Factors that influenced county system leaders to implement an evidence-based program: A baseline survey within a randomized controlled trial. Principles, language, and shared meaning: Toward a common understanding of CQI in child welfare.

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