In efforts to reform the child welfare system, agency leaders must involve staff at all levels; yet, little research has been done to determine which organizational factors encourage or inhibit staff engagement. Employees from an urban child welfare agency were invited to complete a survey regarding organizational effectiveness and its influence…

Training is widely believed to be an important element in promoting good child welfare practice. Scholarly attention to training, however, has been limited. To facilitate further development of child welfare training, in this article, we discuss the importance of conceptualization in the design and evaluation of training projects, offer a…

This article presents findings from a consultation project conducted by faculty from six schools of social work with approximately 150 child welfare supervisors over a two-year period. The purpose of the program was to assist supervisors with their roles as educators, mentors, and coaches for casework staff, specifically in relationship to case…

This article describes the effect of a province-wide vision of evidence-based and outcome-based services for children and youth and the challenges of implementing evidence-based practice (EBP) and evidence-based treatment (EBT) approaches within group care settings. The paper is based on the results of a survey of group care settings in the…

This article summarizes published research regarding the effectiveness of mentor programs in general, and for youth in foster care specifically, as a basis for evidence-based practice in child welfare. It examines the pros and cons of mentor programs and characteristics of programs that are more or less effective for achieving specific social…

The comprehensive professional training program of a multiprogram child care agency is discussed in terms of its value for staff members in their day-to-day work with emotionally disturbed and handicapped children and their families. (Author/RH)

It is argued that an emphasis on a method of evaluation prior to the actual beginning of a program can prove of great value to an administrator in shaping the program and explaining and defending it to boards and funding bodies. Evaluation methods are discussed. (Author/MS)

Articulates how the family support movement emerged in the last 20 years, and describes the philosophical premises, principles, and practices that currently guide it. Considers the inability of current family support program typologies to guide outcome evaluations, and introduces a typology that deconstructs family support programs into their…

Matching Needs and Services (MNS) is a practice tool intended to help people who work with vulnerable children use rigorously assembled information on needs as a guide to design, implement, and evaluate more-effective services. To do this, MNS focuses on needs but links them to outcomes and thresholds before dealing with the services to achieve…

Describes a behavior modification program that has proved effective with boys with learning and behavior problems. (SB)

Describes the conceptualization and development of a multiage bookwriting group entitled the Saturday Club for Adopted Kids. Describes the benefits of offering this project-oriented group in which adoptees can tell their stories and share their experiences in an environment that supports their recovery from early trauma. Notes adoptive parents'…

Discusses the development of the Family Assessment Form for use in in-home family support services at the Children's Bureau of Los Angeles, California. Focuses on details of the form, its reliability and validity, and refinements in its use. (BB)

A conference on bonding and attachment attended by professionals and foster and adoptive parents was followed by a questionnaire survey of participants which was designed to measure effectiveness. A follow-up survey was conducted six months later. Professionals and parents benefited from combined training sessions. (BB)

Summarizes the objectives, conceptual model, results, and implications of a project called Foster Care Training: A Comprehensive Approach, in British Columbia, Canada, which was designed to illustrate ways in which a networking model can provide increased support and training for participating foster parents. (BB)