ABSTRACT
Family members and professionals in a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Children's Mental Health Systems of Care Initiative in Houston, Texas conducted a participatory evaluation to examine wraparound implementation. Results guided systematic, theory-based program revisions. By focusing through empirically derived frameworks for implementation, the evaluation team identified and generated useful data sources to support and improve wraparound provision. Despite working with a more diverse population in which youth displayed more severe behaviors than in similar grants, after 18 months more families received service and outcomes improved as fidelity scores advanced above the national mean.
Subject(s)
Evidence-Based Practice/organization & administration , Mental Health Services/organization & administration , Organizational Culture , Social Work/organization & administration , Adolescent , Child , Evidence-Based Practice/standards , Humans , Inservice Training , Leadership , Mental Health Services/standards , Professional Competence , Program Evaluation , Social Work/standards , United StatesABSTRACT
Graduate preparation of social workers and the infrastructure of service delivery too often limit the pursuit and use of data to inform practice. We review literature addressing student and practitioner motivation and interests, as well as masters-level social work curriculum content. This establishes a context for presentation of Masters in Social Work (MSW) student evaluations of program implementation at 34 field placement sites throughout the greater Kansas City region. Their evaluations focus through frameworks identified by the National Implementation Research Network to examine patterns of implementation and program data usage. Based on student lessons learned, we suggest MSW curricula revision to foster student and program appreciation and use of data.
