WITHDRAWN: Using the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse to Promote Prevention Programs for Child Welfare: A Guide for Researchers & Practitioners

Introduction: Child welfare agencies are increasingly under pressure to identify effective practices to improve outcomes for children, youth, and adults. Research has shown that most treatments delivered in child welfare settings do not have a solid evidence-base (Chadwick Center, 2004; Hurlburt, Barth, Lesli, Landsverk, & McRae, 2007). Two barriers are known to prevent the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in child welfare: (1) the agency’s access to research-based information on programs, and (2) their level of comfort with exploring and selecting a program (Chadwick, 2004; Chaffin & Friedrich, 2004; Glisson & Schoenwald, 2005). The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse (CEBC; www.cebc4cw.org) is a critical tool intended to aid child welfare systems with the identification, selection, and implementation of EBPs. The CEBC is funded by the California Department of Social Services and operated by the Chadwick Center for Children and Families at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.

Methods: The CEBC features a registry of programs that provides detailed information on, and reviews the existing research for, over 300 programs, which includes 38 prevention programs. The CEBC also provides guidance and resources on the implementation of EBPs. This session will provide a demonstration of the CEBC website, including how to identify and select prevention programs for implementation. This session will also utilize the CEBC’s Selection and Implementation Guide to provide real-world examples of common barriers to the selection of programs in child welfare settings and the critical steps needed to adopt a “good fit” prevention program (Walsh, Rolls-Reutz, & Williams, 2014). The presenters will also discuss how researchers may submit their prevention program to be rated on the CEBC and how the CEBC evaluates the evidence for all reviewed prevention programs.

Results: Participants will understand how to navigate the CEBC website to identify and appropriately select a prevention program. The potential for CEBC to be utilized as a dissemination tool for researchers with new or updated prevention programs will also be presented.

Conclusions: The proposed session will demonstrate the CEBC as an effective tool for the dissemination and implementation of prevention programs. Participants receive additional tools and resources that support the selection and implementation of prevention programs.