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Improving child welfare’s use of data for service planning: Practitioner perspectives on a training curriculum

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  • Romano, Elisa
  • Stenason, Lauren
  • Weegar, Kelly
  • Cheung, Connie

Abstract

In 2000, the Ontario Looking After Children (OnLAC) project was developed as a child welfare initiative to monitor and improve the developmental outcomes of youth in out-of-home care through annual assessments. However, challenges remain in child welfare’s use of OnLAC data for service planning and delivery. We established a partnership with several Ontario child welfare agencies to develop, deliver, and conduct a preliminary evaluation of a training curriculum aimed at enhancing child welfare practitioners’ use of OnLAC data for service planning related to young people’s educational outcomes. This study examined training outcomes for practitioners across three Ontario child welfare agencies using a mixed-methods design that made use of post-training feedback questionnaire data (n = 58) and focus groups (n = 14). For reactions to the training, results suggested that the majority of practitioners (85.2–95.2%) responded positively to the content and delivery of the training curriculum. Several reported that the introduction of an evidence-informed practice framework and the use of case examples were particularly beneficial in helping them better understand how OnLAC data can be incorporated into service delivery. Turning to learning outcomes, the majority of practitioners (62.7–65.6%) indicated that the training increased their understanding of and confidence with the OnLAC data, as well as their intention to apply OnLAC data to their service planning. Several also reported that the training challenged their attitudes toward and knowledge of evidence-informed practice and OnLAC data. Suggestions for improving the training included greater use of more complex case examples, and practitioners also indicated that the use of OnLAC data would be increased if information pertaining to an individual youth became available in a timelier manner and was presented as a profile highlighting unique strengths and needs of youth themselves (rather than as aggregate data). Our findings have implications for future training efforts and other initiatives that aim to build child welfare capacity around evidence-informed practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Romano, Elisa & Stenason, Lauren & Weegar, Kelly & Cheung, Connie, 2020. "Improving child welfare’s use of data for service planning: Practitioner perspectives on a training curriculum," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:110:y:2020:i:c:s0190740919310928
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104783
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tonino Esposito & Nico Trocmé & Martin Chabot & Lorry Coughlin & Chloé Gaumont & Ashleigh Delaye, 2016. "Better Understand to Better Serve: a Province-Wide Knowledge Mobilization Initiative in Child Protection," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 9(3), pages 651-661, September.
    2. Cheung, Connie & Goodman, Deborah & Leckie, George & Jenkins, Jennifer M., 2011. "Understanding contextual effects on externalizing behaviors in children in out-of-home care: Influence of workers and foster families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 2050-2060, October.
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    4. Frey, Lauren & LeBeau, Mary & Kindler, Diane & Behan, Christopher & Morales, Isabel M. & Freundlich, Madelyn, 2012. "The pivotal role of child welfare supervisors in implementing an agency's practice model," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1273-1282.
    5. Collins-Camargo, Crystal & Sullivan, Dana & Murphy, April, 2011. "Use of data to assess performance and promote outcome achievement by public and private child welfare agency staff," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 330-339, February.
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