Becoming a Workforce of Everyday Scientists: Frontline Staff in Agencies and Tribes

How Do We Know What Works? Challenges and Opportunities for Building Evidence for Leaders and Decision Makers examines evidence-based practice from the point of view of leaders and managers, who must process information about what works or not, decide if it is credible and is having the intended effect, and assess the implications of their decision at every level of the organization. 

This session explores how research, evaluation, and continuous quality improvement (CQI) efforts can help you strengthen practice to achieve a common goal of all child welfare professionals: becoming more effective in your work and being better able to ensure that children are safe, in healthy and intact families, and thriving.

Use this discussion guide with the Effectiveness in Child Welfare: Our Role in Improving the Lives of Children and Families videos to access a description of each topic, individual and group reflection questions to facilitate on-demand learning, considerations for use with partners, and an action-planning tool for teams to bring knowledge into action. 

Explore tips and strategies to effectively engage and sustain the involvement of families and youth at the agency level. 

Use this discussion guide with the Fostering a Healthy Workforce videos to access a description of each topic, individual and group reflection questions to facilitate on-demand learning, and an action-planning tool for teams to bring knowledge into action.  

Learn about applications that can make information gathering more efficient, increase useful data, and help you better understand those you serve. 

Get guidance for completing the CQI self-assessment instrument, see suggested sources for local assessment data, and learn to rate assessment results.

Learn a research-informed framework for agencies to explore implementation of CQI systems across seven areas, including leadership support and modeling, staff and stakeholder engagement, communication, administrative structure, use of quality data, case record review process, and application of CQI findings.

This publication looks at buzzwords in the context of words or phrases commonly used in child welfare reporting and documentation that can be subjective or carry negative connotations, and offers strategies to minimize their negative impact.

Learn to facilitate a normalcy conversation and to promote normal and developmentally appropriate experiences for youth in foster care.

Learn how to build capacity in each of four component areas to promote a culture and climate that encourages youth engagement at all levels of an organization.

Learn effective strategies to collect, analyze, and use data related to caseworker visits.

Get practical guidance for building organizational capacity and for implementing flexible and innovate programs for youth engagement.

Learn the characteristics and results that describe the right people to engage youth and get guidance for recruiting, hiring, and retaining these employees.