Trauma-responsive child welfare services: A mixed methods study assessing safety, stability and permanency

Topitzes, J., Grove, T., Pangratz, S, Meyer, E. E., & Sprague, C. M. (2019). Trauma-responsive child welfare services: A mixed methods study assessing safety, stability and permanency. Journal of Child Custody.

Objective
Trauma-informed or trauma-responsive programming has spread across many service sectors including child welfare. However, only a few evaluations of such child welfare programs have been published.

Method
The current mixed methods study assessed a trauma-responsive child welfare program implemented within a private agency located in the Midwest region of the U.S. The intervention combined specialized training, assessment, case planning, and case consultation into a trauma-responsive case management model.

Results
Quantitative data, gathered through a quasi-experimental design (N=598), revealed that program participation was associated with improved permanency but not with enhanced child safety. Qualitative data, gathered from staff interviews (N=10), helped to contextualize quantitative results, highlighting staff experiences and impressions of the program. Implications of results are discussed.

Link to publication

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