Acting Like It Matters: A Scoping Review of Simulation in Child Welfare Training

Abstract

Simulation-based training is often used to prepare health practitioners and is increasingly employed to train child welfare workers. This scoping review systematically searched the published and grey literature for studies that evaluated training for child welfare practitioners and used simulation methods that included standardized actors. Three studies met inclusion criteria, all documenting improvement in participants' use of specific skills. Other outcomes were mixed, possibly reflecting the heterogeneity of samples, study methods, measures, training of actors, theoretical frameworks, and content areas. Though results were mostly positive, the small number of studies indicates a substantial need for further research.

KEYWORDS:

• child maltreatment
• child welfare
• workforce issues
• training
• simulation
• scoping review

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors wish to thank Rami Benbenishty, Paula David, and Hillel Schmidt whose work on simulation in training child welfare workers at the Haruv Institute, Jerusalem, Israel further stimulated our interest in conducting this review.

FUNDING

This research was supported by the Competency for Professional Practice Initiative, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marion Bogo

Marion Bogo, MSW, AdvSW, is a Professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Aron Shlonsky

Aron Shlonsky, MSW, MPH, PhD, is Professor of Evidence-Informed Practice in the Department of Social Work at the University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and an Associate Professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Barbara Lee

Barbara Lee, MSW, is a doctoral candidate in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Sarah Serbinski

Sarah Serbinski, MSW, is a doctoral candidate in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.