Child Welfare Practice Model Implementation Projects: Lessons Learned

ABSTRACT

Child welfare agencies implement practice models to guide their processes and practices, clarify expectations, and enhance service delivery to improve outcomes for children, youth, and families. Changing child welfare practices is a tremendous undertaking requiring assimilation of new concepts, policies, skills, and behaviors. The integration of a new practice model can be facilitated through tailored training and technical assistance (T/TA) grounded in implementation science. Based on qualitative analysis from a cross-site evaluation of Child Welfare Implementation Centers, this article provides an overview and lessons learned from 14 practice model implementation projects and the use of T/TA to support them.

KEYWORDS:

• Practice model
• implementation
• technical assistance
• child welfare

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Brian Deakins and Jane Morgan of the Children’s Bureau and Janet Griffith of ICF International for their assistance in reviewing drafts of this manuscript.

Funding

This article was based on an evaluation conducted by James Bell Associates and ICF International under Contract No. HHSP23320082915YC, funded by the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the official views of the Children’s Bureau. Questions about the evaluation may be directed to Brian J. Deakins, Federal Project Officer, Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, at [email protected].

Additional information

Funding

This article was based on an evaluation conducted by James Bell Associates and ICF International under Contract No. HHSP23320082915YC, funded by the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the official views of the Children’s Bureau. Questions about the evaluation may be directed to Brian J. Deakins, Federal Project Officer, Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, at [email protected].

Notes on contributors

Jill G. Sanclimenti

Jill G. Sanclimenti is a Technical Specialist at ICF. For two decades, she has written publications on a wide range of child welfare issues and contributed to research and evaluation studies related to improving outcomes for children, youth, and families. She currently serves as a writer for the Capacity Building Center for States, part of the Children’s Bureau’s Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative. Ms. Sanclimenti has an MBA with a focus on organizational behavior from New York University and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Lizbeth E. Caceda-Castro

Lizbeth E. Caceda-Castro, MEd, is an Expert Consultant at James Bell Associates, Inc. and supports projects for child welfare and healthcare practice areas. She has worked for the past 11 years on evaluations of evidence-based programs for dissemination and implementation in diverse settings and populations. She is a trained mental health counselor and her primary research interests focus on the implementation of behavioral health interventions for children and adults. Ms. Caceda-Castro received her BA in Psychology from the City University of New York, Queens College and her M.Ed. in Community Agency Counseling from George Mason University.

James P. DeSantis

James P. DeSantis, PhD, is a Vice President at James Bell Associates, Inc. and leads the company’s child welfare practice. Dr. DeSantis received his M.A. in Human Development and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from The Catholic University of America. He has worked for the past 8 years on evaluations of training and technical assistance efforts that support improvements in child welfare systems. His primary research interests focus on adolescent development and programs that support adolescents in the foster care system and those who are aging out of the system.