The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released its Child and Family Development Research: Fiscal Year 2023 report summarizing important research projects that seek to improve services for children and families. For child welfare professionals, several of these projects offer valuable insights to help enhance service delivery and outcomes.
One project is the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. This longitudinal survey, currently in its third cohort, collects data on the well-being, service needs, and outcomes of children and families involved with the child welfare system and how these outcomes relate to experiences with the system, family characteristics, community environment, and other factors. It includes reports from children, parents, caregivers, caseworkers, and teachers to help child welfare professionals better understand children’s experiences in care and improve outcomes through evidence-based policy and practice.
Another project highlighted in the report is the Child Welfare Study to Enhance Equity With Data (CW-SEED). It examines how child welfare agencies use data to promote equity in service delivery and outcomes. The project explores barriers and promising practices across data collection, analysis, and reporting. It engages community partners, child welfare professionals, and policymakers to inform its findings. CW-SEED will produce a research agenda and report to guide future efforts in improving data use to address inequities in child welfare systems.