Outcome-Oriented Services
The goals of this module are to deepen understanding of Federal mandates regarding outcomes in child welfare and how to comply with them, to raise awareness of what is and is not revealed about the well-being of children and families by current initiatives, and to suggest applications -- real-life ways of gathering meaningful information about the well-being of children and families.
In this module, a way of conceptualizing child welfare intervention impact as (a) process goals, (b) outputs, and (c) outcomes will be described. The Federally orchestrated evaluation, Child and Family Services Review of state child welfare systems, will be described. In addition, national data bases (AFCARS and NCANDS) and their utility for child welfare practice and supervision will be covered. Finally, the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program and other outcomes-based initiatives will be discussed.