CQIdeas Blog
New Data Center publication on CQI
Today, public child welfare agencies are taking stock of their capacity for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and considering the investments they will make in order to build that capacity. How these CQI systems develop will vary from agency to agency depending on administrative structure, staffing patterns, available resources, and a host of other factors. They will all, however, be responsible for facilitating the same basic CQI process—a cycle of problem solving activities that requires the deliberate use of evidence. Given that shared responsibility, the child welfare field will benefit from a common vocabulary for describing what CQI is, the core principles on which CQI rests, and the critical role that evidence plays throughout the CQI process. In keeping with a century-long tradition of CQI that has guided improvement efforts in other fields, we put forth a common language for child welfare CQI in a new publication, Principles, Language, and Shared… Read more >
Upcoming Webinar— Data Integration across Human Service Agencies: Building Capacity and Promoting the Use of Evidence
Back in May, Data Center Director Fred Wulczyn presented a webinar that detailed ACF’s proposed measures and methods for Round 3 of the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR). On July 1st, Lily Alpert continued that conversation with CFSR 3 Measures as a Springboard for Continuous Quality Improvement, a session focused on how states might apply the proposed CFSR 3 measures and methods to local CQI efforts. A recap of the webinar is provided below. To watch a recording of the webinar click here. To view the slides, click here. For a primer on the CQI process, click here. MAIN TAKEAWAYS The proposed measures and methods for CFSR 3 have broad applicability to Continuous Quality Improvement efforts at the state and local levels. These techniques are not limited to measures proposed for CFSR 3. States will and should have other outcomes that they will want to monitor over time and… Read more >
Infants are placed in foster care at a higher rate than children of all other ages. Nationally, infants make up approximately 22% of children entering foster care and, once in care, stay in care longer than older children. Given infants’ sizeable representation in the system, they warrant particular attention as child welfare agencies develop and implement policies and practices. This post summarizes a presentation recently delivered by Fred Wulczyn and Zach Martinez at Harvard University’s Center for the Developing Child. The presentation describes from a risk perspective how infants represent a unique sub-population of children involved in the child welfare system. By bringing infants’ particular characteristics and experiences to the fore—e.g., the circumstances under which they come into contact with the child welfare system, their specific risk factors, and their trajectories toward permanency—the findings provide valuable information that can guide state efforts to improve infant well-being. To view the presentation… Read more >