Centre for Research on Children and Families

1. Centre for Researchon Children and Families

2. Evidence-based management in child welfare services SSHRC Knowledge Impact in Society Initiative 2006 Plan Centre for Research on Children and Families

3. Nico Trocmé & Wendy Thomson, McGill University, Centre for Research on Children and Families Michael Udy & Claude Laurendeau, Batshaw Youth and Family Centres Sonia Hélie, the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement Social des Jeunes Bruce MacLaurin, University of Calgary Aron Shlonsky, University of Toronto John McDermott, the Alberta Ministry of Children Services / FPT National Outcomes Matrix Initiative. Research Team Centre for Research on Children and Families

4. Funding: 2006-2009 • Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Knowledge Impact in Society Initiative (SSHRC-KIS) • McGill University • Batshaw Youth and Family Centres • Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare • Association des Centres Jeunesse du Québec. Centre for Research on Children and Families

5. Overall objective • develop and evaluate a child welfare knowledge mobilization model that places the question of evidence at the forefront of management and service delivery decisions in a child welfare agency Centre for Research on Children and Families

6. Knowledge Mobilization • the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) KM model: “collaborative problem-solving between researchers and decision makers that happens through linkage and exchange. Effective knowledge mobilization involves interaction between decision makers and researchers and results in mutual learning through the process of planning, producing, disseminating, and applying existing or new research in decision-making” Centre for Research on Children and Families

7. Project Objectives: • Improve capacity to access and analyze service and client information data; • Develop systematic mechanisms to integrate clinical expertise in service and policy decisions; • Support access to research literature to inform service and policy decisions; • Develop a research agenda that addresses high-priority knowledge gaps; • Support the development of a national knowledge mobilization network. • Evaluation. Centre for Research on Children and Families

8. The “TRAL” model • Effective knowledge mobilization requires the production of evidence that is Timely, Relevant, Accurate and Local • responses must be provided in a timely fashion (weeks not years), • research must address the most pressing questions facing decision-makers (Relevant), • research must make use of accurate information (Accurate), and • research must make as much use as possible of local expertise and information (e.g., provincial laws, agency policies & procedures). Centre for Research on Children and Families

9. EBM Project: Two Phases • The EBM Project will develop in two phases: I) Knowledge Mobilization at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres II) Expansion phase: Links to provincial and national initiatives

10. I: Knowledge Mobilization at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres • Development of 3 knowledge mobilization strategies: • Track client and service outcome indicators; • Make systematic use of clinical expertise; • Knowledge brokers. Centre for Research on Children and Families

11. I: Knowledge Mobilization at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres 1) Track client and service outcome indicators: • Operationalize National Outcomes Matrix using PIJ information system • Pilot test, analyze and contextualize outcome indicators • Produce a public report card Centre for Research on Children and Families

12. I: Knowledge Mobilization at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres 2) Make systematic use of clinical expertise: • Monitor the quality of assessments and service plans with a standardized file evaluation tool • Use Significant Event Analysis to record, interpret and discuss positive and negative cases in order to highlight potential service improvements Centre for Research on Children and Families

13. I: Knowledge Mobilization at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres 3) Knowledge brokers: • Senior researcher/practitioner assisted by a graduate student. • Embedded in management teams/committees developing or reviewing key service policies and procedures • Brokers assist in formulating questions and accessing and evaluating best available evidence (published and gray research, programs in other jurisdictions and relevant service data from Batshaw) Centre for Research on Children and Families

14. II: Expansion phase: Links to provincial and national initiatives • Build an agency research agenda that goes beyond the available evidence by evaluating programs with rigorous research designs. • Link the Batshaw initiative to provincial and national initiatives: • PIBE (Quebec child welfare data information bank); • NOM (FPT Working group and University of Calgary initiatives); • CECW research summaries; • Children’s Services Information System at University of Toronto; • Systematic reviews with the Research Institute for Evidence-Based Social Work at University of Toronto; • Provincial and national connections. Centre for Research on Children and Families

15. Evaluation of EBM Project • Pre-post survey of manager use of research and possible focus groups • Process evaluation (e.g., number of meetings, who attended, what was discussed) • Monitor and assess quality of products (e.g., research summaries, report card, SEA summaries) Centre for Research on Children and Families

16. nico.trocme@mcgill.ca stephanie.belanger1@mcgill.ca www.cecw-cepb.ca www.mcgill.ca/crcf/ Centre for Researchon Children and Families