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Home > Systemwide > Service Improvement/Systems Reform > Improving Practices > About Evidence-Based Practice
About Evidence-Based Practice
Evidence-based child welfare practice involves identifying, assessing, and implementing strategies that are supported by scientific research as being effective in improving outcomes for children and families.
The term "evidence-based" is defined differently in different contexts. For our purposes, evidence-based practices are those that have:
- Strong research design
- Evidence of significant positive effects
- Sustained effects
- Capacity for replication
Why implement evidence-based practice?
Just as we expect our family physician to keep abreast of which treatment options work best, child welfare practitioners should use the best available information to guide their work with children and families.
Evidence-based practice can help child welfare programs:
- Meet the demands of funding sources, who increasingly require evidence of program effectiveness
- Demonstrate the efficacy of (and need for continued funding for) their services to legislators
- Enhance performance as measured by the Federal Child and Family Services Reviews
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Selected Resources
Importance of Evidence-Based Practice
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
Describes importance of evidence-based practice in child welfare, including a brief overview and history; a definition of evidence-based practice; and information on the research base in child welfare.
Measuring Trends in Child Well-Being: An Evidence-Based Approach (PDF - 330 KB)
Social Indicators Research, 80(1), 2007
Discusses the topic of measuring changes in child and youth well-being in the United States over the past few decades, focusing on the evidence-based approach used in the construction of the composite Child and Youth Well-Being Index.
Evidence-Based Social Work: A Guide for the Perplexed
Newman, Moseley, Tierney, & Ellis (2005)
View Abstract
This book helps professionally qualified practitioners and students locate evidence, assess research, understand statistics, and implement evidence-based practice.
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