Moving Child Welfare Forward
Achieving Positive Outcomes for Children, Youth and Families
Class Seven: Understanding Child Welfare Data -- Tools
and Tips
Topics
- Types and uses of performance data (case, compliance, resource
and outcome)
- Basic data analysis tools and methods
- Client-focused outcomes
Learning Objectives
When this class is complete the student should be able to:
- Identify and describe four types of performance data
- Employ some basic data tools for reading and interpreting
data
- Develop and monitor child/family outcomes
- Use data from reports to assess the impact of practice on
client outcomes.
Suggested Assignments
- Come to class prepared to develop realistic and measurable
client-focused outcomes for the goal of enhancing a family’s
capacity to provide for their children's needs. (Use the Focus
on Client Outcomes guidebook. See Suggested Readings .)
Suggested In-class activities
- Small group exercise: Survey class members using the Assessment
of Core Competencies tool. (Source: Bringing Together
the Child Welfare Team,pgs 3.15-3.17, September
27, 2002 . Available on the internet at: www.muskie.usm.maine.edu/asfa).
The surveys should be anonymous and students should assess
their real skills in these areas. Then ask each group to calculate
the following:
- Mean, median, and mode for each survey instrument
- Mean score per section, all group members
- Median score per section, all group members
- Mode score per section, all group members
Compare the results
of each group’s analysis.
Then develop a plan to address the above results.
Answer the following questions:
- Which items on the Assessment of Core Competencies instrument
obtained the highest and lowest scores?
- How could
these skills be strengthened?
- Which sections on the Assessment
of Core Competencies instrument
were rated highest or lowest?
- How could these areas
be strengthened?
- Small group exercise: Organize the
class into a hypothetical child welfare office with some
members of the class having “managerial”responsibilities
and some “ direct practice ” duties.
A sk each group to list examples of data
under each of the four performance measurement
types (case, compliance, resource and
outcome) and explain the value of each
type to a manager and direct service
worker. Have each group report out its
findings and compare and contrast the
results.
- Small group activity: setting client outcomes and measures.
R einforce the building commitment to change tactics
then ask the students to read ‘Worker Having Difficulty
Working with a Family’ case study (This case study highlights
the issues a caseworker can face helping a ‘mom’ change
her behavior. Source: Bringing Together the Child
Welfare Team,pg 3.18, September
27, 2002 . Available on the internet at: www.muskie.usm.maine.edu/asfa).
Ask students to work in small groups to develop specific
client –focused
outcomes for ‘mom’, one or more indicators
for each outcome and an approach to monitoring her
progress toward meeting the outcomes. Have each group
report out its discussions.
Suggested Readings
- Minnesota Department of Human Services. Focus on Client
Outcomes: a Guidebook for Results-oriented Human Services.
St. Paul , MN : Minnesota Department of Human Services, Community
Services Division. (Available from Community Services Division,
Department of Human Services, 444 Lafayette Road , St. Paul
, Minnesota , 55155-3839 ). An easy to read introduction to
developing client outcomes.
- Yoo, J. (2002). The Relationship Between Organizational Variables
and Client Outcomes: A Case Study in Child Welfare. Administration
in Social Work, 26, 39-61.
Supplemental Reference Materials
Readings
- Child Welfare Outcomes 2001 - Annual Report – (2003)
Washington , D.C. : U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Administration for Children and Families, Children’s
Bureau. This is the fourth in a series of annual reports
required by the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) (www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cwo.htm)
- Weinbach,
Robert W. and Grinnel, Richard M., Jr. (2004). Statistics
for Social Workers. 6th edition. White Plains , NY :
Longman Publishing Group, or any recent social welfare statistics
text book.
On-Line Resources
- http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov The
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
web site contains data from the National Child Abuse and
Neglect Data System (NCANDS).
- www.rom.ku.edu University
of Kansas School of Social Welfare , web-based training
on results oriented management, Section 2: Managing for Results:
Using Data to Inform Program Improvementsprovides
an on-line, free curriculum on measuring results and using child
welfare data to inform day to day decision making.
Introduction
Objectives
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