Building an Evidence-Driven Child Welfare Workforce: A University–Agency Partnership

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. A method for improving decision making, CQI relies on an inflow of high-quality data, up-to-date research evidence, and a robust organizational structure and climate that supports the deliberate use of evidence for decision making. This article describes an effort to build and support these essential system components through one public-private child welfare agency–university partnership.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bridgette Lery

Bridgette Lery is senior analyst at the San Francisco Human Services Agency. Wendy Wiegmann is doctoral candidate and Jill Duerr Berrick is the Zellerbach Family Foundation professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Wendy Wiegmann

Bridgette Lery is senior analyst at the San Francisco Human Services Agency. Wendy Wiegmann is doctoral candidate and Jill Duerr Berrick is the Zellerbach Family Foundation professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Jill Duerr Berrick

Bridgette Lery is senior analyst at the San Francisco Human Services Agency. Wendy Wiegmann is doctoral candidate and Jill Duerr Berrick is the Zellerbach Family Foundation professor at the University of California, Berkeley.