Washington State Partners to Improve Child Welfare

Washington State’s Department of Social and Health Services, Children’s Administration recently implemented a new system-wide practice model called Solution-Based Casework (SBC). In making this system change – the state requested an independent, ongoing implementation study and impact evaluation from Partners for Our Children. The study and evaluation seek to determine the degree to which implementing SBC is successful in improving child and family outcomes in Washington State. The partnership includes parents, state leadership, child welfare administrators and staff, The University of Washington School of Social Work, and the private sector. The partnership is working together in order to improve the lives of children in foster care based on research, testing and evaluation.

The role of partnership is a critical one in successfully implementing and thoroughly evaluating wide-scale change. For state policymakers seeking to partner across agencies (with members of the community, academics, and practitioners) Washington State’s evidence-based approach might serve as a valuable resource.

For related news coverage regarding Washington States initial findings.

To read the Interim Report: Evaluation of Washington’s Solution Based Casework practice model: Baseline parent survey analysis by state, region, and service context.

For a Framework on Connecting Policy to Results.