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.

Read about the services available under two federal programs and how to use them to improve outcomes for pregnant or parenting youth in out-of-home care.

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

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

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

Explore the four thematic pillars necessary for organizational capacity that supports engagement with young people currently and formerly in foster care.

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

Examine a five-step framework that helps organizations promote youth engagement in normalcy conversations about the youth’s own care.

Explore coaching steps and tips supervisors can use to help workers strengthen skills and meet goals.

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

Learn about adolescent brain development, trauma-responsive care, and the importance of normalcy.

Learn how supervisors and program managers can assist child welfare caseworkers in conducting quality visits with parents.

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