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First published online July 29, 2021

Child Welfare Practice Improvement Efforts: A Descriptive Study of Capacity Building Services Received by Courts, States, and Tribes

Abstract

The staff practices and organizational processes of child welfare agencies and courts influence families’ experiences and outcomes. Capacity building services have been delivered to improve organizational performance and practices, but studies of their impact are hampered by a lack of data on specific features of services. This study describes services delivered by the Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative during 2017–2019 using data from the Collaborative’s service and outcome tracking system. By supporting more rigorous study, these data can promote service improvements. These service data also provide a baseline that can be used to explore how services may change over time in response to federal legislation and social contextual factors such as the coronavirus pandemic.

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Published In

Article first published online: July 29, 2021
Issue published: October-December 2021

Keywords

  1. capacity building
  2. technical assistance
  3. implementation
  4. child welfare
  5. evaluation

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© The Author(s) 2021.
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Authors

Affiliations

Tammy Richards
MEd, senior research associate, James Bell Associates, Arlington, VA, USA
Joanna DeWolfe
MS, senior research associate, James Bell Associates, Arlington, VA, USA
Jing Sun
MA, senior manager, ICF International Inc, Fairfax, VA, USA
Anita P. Barbee
PhD, MSSW, professor and distinguished university scholar, Center for Family and Community Well-Being, Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville, KY, USA

Notes

Anita P. Barbee, Center for Family and Community Well-Being, Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville, 202 Julius Oppenheimer Hall, 2217 S. 3rd Street, Louisville, KY 40292, USA. Email: [email protected]

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  1. Connecting technical assistance to implementation progress in child welfare capacity building efforts
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