Developing an Empirically Based Practice Initiative: A Case Study in CPS Supervision

Developing an Empirically Based Practice Initiative documents practice techniques that were used during a three-year training/demonstration project for child welfare supervisors working in the frontlines of child protection services in the Southeastern United States. This unique book is a guide to combining research methodology with staff training to enhance the quality of evidence-based practice in the field. The book examines techniques that were used in training modules in four states, highlighting practice models and intervention outcomes from an evidence-based perspective.

Developing an Empirically Based Practice Initiative includes details about the project from the federal perspective (The Children’s Bureau) and the operational implications at the Southern Regional Quality Improvement Center (SRQIC) level. The book examines the issues of providing technical research assistance to child welfare agencies and the complexities of cross-site evaluation with different political jurisdictions.

Developing an Empirically Based Practice Initiative examines:

• The Children’s Bureau discretionary grant program
  
• the relationship between child welfare workers’ career plans and their abilities to accomplish core work tasks
  
• secondary traumatic stress (STS) in child protective services workers
  
• methods for monitoring and evaluating child welfare supervisors
  
• clinical decision-making as a tool for building effective supervision skills
  
• the use of outcome data for decision-making
  
• the development and implementation of the Tennessee project
  
• the use of “360-degree” evaluations to improve clinical skill development
  
• the Intervention Design and Development model

Developing an Empirically Based Practice Initiative is an invaluable aid for social work practitioners, child welfare workers, case managers, and supervisors, and for social work academics and students.

Jenny Jones, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee in Nashville. Her research focuses on child welfare policy, supervision, organizational culture, and intervention. Dr. Jones has authored or co-authored several articles and book chapters, and has presented her research nationally and internationally. Prior to receiving her PhD, she spent more than a decade working in the field of child welfare as a direct practitioner, administrator, and consultant.

Paul Sundet, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri in Columbia. His research focuses on human service administration and management, rural human services, and community mental health; his practice background includes child welfare, juvenile justice, and mental health. He acts as a consultant to numerous state agencies and legislatures on issues of human service policy and programs.