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Jurisdictional Review
A number of models are available from different jurisdictions, ranging from specialized within government units, to arms-length government agencies, to university based research centres. Three examples are described in detail below.
CELCIS (Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland) is an organization that conducts research, influences policy, and engages in consultations to improve service delivery. It is primarily funded and monitored by the Scottish Government and also supported by the University of Strathclyde. CELCIS is guided by a Strategic Steering Group (including academics, social workers, and administrators from the field), which provides a connection between CELCIS and University of Strathclyde and develops strategic directions. CELCIS research teams provide specialist support to organizations interested in conducting research and is affiliated with various academic research projects. CELCIS also conducts evaluations. CELCIS produces briefings, comments on government actions, summaries of research, summaries of promising practices around the globe, and reports, and these are published online.
California Child Welfare Indicators Project (CCWIP) is a collaborative venture between University of California at Berkeley and the California Department of Social Services. The project is housed at the School of Social Welfare and base funding is provided by the state. Data in California are collected at the county level and every county uses the same information system. Aggregate data are made publicly available through CCWIP and refreshed quarterly. Berkeley provides technical assistance and support to counties and the state to understand the performance of child welfare agencies. Examples of performance indicators measured include: maltreatment in foster care; permanency; placement stability; timely caseworker visits and health/dental exams; exit outcomes for youth aging out of care.
The Center for State Child Welfare Data is housed at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and represents a partnership between state child welfare agencies, Chapin Hall, the American Public Human Services Association, and the University of California at Berkeley. The mission of the Center is to use research and technical assistance to promote evidence-based decision making in child welfare. The Center generates knowledge on key issues in contemporary child welfare practice. The cornerstone of the Centre’s research program is the Multistate Foster Care Data Archive, a longitudinal data warehouse developed and maintained by the Center that contains decades of state data on approximately 3 million children in over two dozen states who have spent time in foster care. Technical assistance is provided to member agencies to analyze data, and agencies from states across the U.S. can be members. The Center also offers formal training opportunities.