The role of Decision Making in Implementation Science

A major aspect of implementation science theory is the concept of implementation drivers, in particular, leadership, organization, and competency (Fixsen, Blase, Naoom & Duda, 2015). The role of decision making in child... [ view full abstract ]

A major aspect of implementation science theory is the concept of implementation drivers, in particular, leadership, organization, and competency (Fixsen, Blase, Naoom & Duda, 2015). The role of decision making in child welfare is pivotal to addressing all three implementation drivers in the context of child welfare, and especially in the area of competency. Professional judgments and decisions in child welfare cases are difficult and complex, often based on ambiguous, partial, and contradictory information. These decisions have serious consequences not only for the child, but for the entire family. Yet, decision making in Child Welfare is characterized by low reliability, considerable variability across casework staff and organizational work units, and errors, especially false positive errors. This variability in decision making behavior renders high fidelity implementation of practices in child welfare contexts problematic. Examples abound of apparent errors where CPS did not act when it should have, or acted when it should not have. CPS decision makers at all levels from direct practice to agency administration can benefit from taking advantage of the knowledge gains and progress regarding decision-making research. Theoretical developments based on this research, such as the Decision Making Ecology (Fluke, Baumann, Dalgleish, & Kern, 2104) have important implications for research in implementation science and consequently the application of implementation science in effective program and practice installation. This presentation will provide examples of applied research based on decision making and implementation science theory that help to articulate hypotheses and explain how context and decision maker behaviors impact child welfare decision making and the implications for effective program implementation.