CQI Training Academy Handbook: Using Data to Implement Change

The CQI Training Academy was created to support continuous quality improvement (CQI) teams in building a common understanding of CQI practices and applying those practices as they work to strengthen families, deliver services, and build more resilient communities. The CQI Training Academy was updated in 2022 to reflect the latest thinking on CQI best practices. It was designed to enhance your understanding of the CQI and implementation processes and help you apply related concepts to understanding your challenges, identifying and testing potential solutions, and using data to implement, test, and enhance interventions that result in improved outcomes for children, youth, and families.

Who Should Use This Handbook? 

This handbook is designed to help child welfare professionals at all levels understand the CQI and implementation process and come to a shared understanding of how to implement CQI effectively in public child welfare agencies. Each person using this handbook has a unique set of experiences and level of exposure to CQI. Some work in agencies where CQI has been functional for some time and, as a result, have more experience with CQI and implementation processes. Others are just beginning their involvement with CQI. No matter where you are starting, this handbook can serve as a good foundation to help you make improvements in your agency.

Why Do You Need the CQI Training Academy? 

Using a structured CQI and implementation process can help agencies take actions over time to improve practices and enhance outcomes for children, youth, and families in a sustainable and data-informed way. Despite the abundance of information available to identify the strengths and weaknesses of child welfare programs, many children, youth, and families still do not see improvements in their well-being.