Child Welfare Practitioners' Philosophical Principles and Attitudes Towards Evidence-Based Programs

In child maltreatment prevention, practitioners provide the frontline services that have immediate implications on the welfare of children and families (DePanfilis & Zlotnik, 2008).  The degree to which practitioners believe in, and use effective services can impact the quality of services experienced by children and families.  Yet, research demonstrates that evidence-based programs are used inconsistently in child welfare (Horowitz et al., 2013).  This study explores the relationship between practitioners’ perspectives of professional alignment with Family Connections’ philosophical principles, an evidence-based child maltreatment program, and attitudes towards evidence-based program implementation.  Data was gathered from an organizational survey of nine community-based prevent agencies (n = 93 respondents) implementing Family Connections in a major metropolitan area. Survey questions assessed the extent to which the philosophical principles of Family Connections drove current practice and attitudes towards adopting evidence-based practices through the Evidence-Based Practice Attitudes Scale (EBPAS; Aarons et al., 2010).   

Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that age (β = -0.35, t = -2.07, p = 0.042) and duration in child welfare (β = 0.42, t = 2.53, p = 0.014) were predictive of the EBPAS Appeal subscale.  Additionally, the Family Connections philosophical principle of accepting and respecting cultural differences was negatively related to of the EBPAS Openness subscale (β = -0.541, t = -2.282, p = 0.026).  

Results of this study are mixed and suggest that attitudes towards adopting evidence-based programs may not be influenced solely by a practitioner’s or intervention’s philosophical principles, although findings indicated that when practitioners strongly believed in accepting and respecting cultural differences, they were less likely to be open to implementation of an evidence-based program.  This suggests that practitioners who prioritize cultural differences of clients may be less likely to buy-in to evidence-based approaches that could be less adaptable to varying cultural practices and belief.  Findings also suggest that evidence-based practices may appeal more to younger staff and those who have a long commitment to child welfare.   In order to increase the likelihood that families are served consistently with proven evidence-based programs, further examination into the individual and organizational factors that may influence the degree to which practitioners believe in and are likely to adopt evidence-based programs is warranted.