Child welfare is arguably one of the most challenging fields of practice in the human services, with workers facing a multitude of issues intertwined with policies, legislation, media, and the need for transparency and... [ view full abstract ]
Child welfare is arguably one of the most challenging fields of practice in the human services, with workers facing a multitude of issues intertwined with policies, legislation, media, and the need for transparency and accountability. The use of research in practice has been shown to increase service user positive outcomes, and promote the reciprocal relationship between organizational culture, climate, the learning organization, leadership, and worker self-efficacy.
Evidence-informed practice (EIP) includes research evidence within the consideration of case context, client preferences, and worker/supervisor experiences to build a comprehensive framework of practice and decision-making. However, there is a gap in the literature, as the field needs a better understanding of factors that contribute to the consistent use of research evidence. Thus, this presentation explores the differences between “high” and “low” research users in the Canadian child welfare worker population.
Quantitative analyses of two data sets were used to answer the research question. The first data set was developed to better understand what child welfare workers (N=253) and supervisors (N=103) need to promote the use of research in practice. Measures included: demographics, organizational promotion of research use, self-efficacy in using research, research course completion, and amount of research in daily practice. Linear regression findings indicate that a supervisor’s self-efficacy of using research significantly predicts the amount of research engaged with in the team setting. Further results indicate that for child welfare workers, higher organizational promotion of research significantly predicts being a “high” individual research user.
The second set of data were collected from a study evaluating a professional development series aimed at increasing the use of research in child welfare practitioners (N=96). Measures include: EIP knowledge and use; attitude towards EIP; likelihood of adopting EIP; confidence in using research; perception of barriers to using research; frequency of discussing research; relationship with supervisor; team cohesiveness; supervisor practice support; self-efficacy of using research; and number of times research was used in the previous month. Linear regression results indicate that the total number of times research was used in the past month was significantly predicted by whether participants took a research course at some point in their education, higher likelihood of adopting evidence-based practice, and positive attitude towards evidence-based practice.
Taken together, these findings are informative about the differences between child welfare practitioners and supervisors who use research frequently and those who do not. To bring the findings of this research to practice, we offer practical suggestions. The use of research in child welfare practice is not a simple direct singular relationship; rather, there are factors at various levels (organizational, supervisory, and practitioner) that may have an impact upon research use. Promoting discussion of research in supervision, team meetings, department meetings, and case conferences will increase the likelihood of individual research use. Self-efficacy may be a reciprocal concept; those who are confident in research use, engage with it more often, and vise versa. However, we know from the literature that self-efficacy plays a key role in engagement. Thus, supervisors need to build their own confidence with research, including professional development and support from mentors to promote the learning and confidence of those they supervise. Lastly, practitioners should be supported in their education of research, methodology, and application to practice. A concurrent focus on increasing the amount of research used in practice and promoting values and beliefs about research use in child welfare practice will only strengthen the outcomes for children and families they work with.
Program evaluation and quality in child welfare , Other topics
