Examining Factors Influencing Attitudes Toward Evidence-Based Practice Among Child Welfare Professionals

Background and Purpose

Over the past two decades, there has been a growing emphasis on integrating evidence-based practice within the public child welfare sector, such as the passage of the Family First Preventions Services Act in 2018, which emphasizes the use of evidence-based tools and services. Despite the increasing interest and efforts, this process has been slow and challenging. Research has identified several obstacles in promoting evidence-based practice in child welfare, including uncertainties about effectiveness, ethical concerns, and administrative difficulties in service referrals. A pivotal factor in influencing the implementation and referral of evidence-based practice is practitioners' attitudes.

Theoretical frameworks and studies from human service fields support a duo-faceted approach in understanding the factors influencing attitudes toward evidence-based practice, including organizational facilitators and individual characteristics. However, few studies have examined the application of this duo-faceted approach using samples in child welfare.

The purpose of this study is to address this gap in the literature by examining how individual characteristics and organizational facilitators relate to the attitudes toward adopting evidence-based practice among child welfare professionals.

Methods

This study is a cross-sectional secondary analysis using data from a Title IV-E Child Welfare Demonstration Project conducted in a mid-Atlantic state. Samples (N = 226) included child welfare professionals who completed measures on both organizational facilitators and attitudes toward evidence-based practices.

Attitude toward evidence-based practices is measured by the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS). Organizational facilitators are measured by the Organizational Readiness for Change Scale (ORC) and analyzed based on the four domains: organizational motivation, resources, staff attributes, and climates. Individual characteristics are measured by self-reported demographics, including years of experience, level of education, and educational background. Age, gender, and race are held as control variables.

To examine relationships with attitude toward evidence-based practice, hierarchical regression was employed using three models, with control variables, individual characteristics, and organizational facilitators entered in order.

Results

Preliminary results indicated that all three models were significant. When demographic variables were controlled, individual characteristics and organizational facilitators accounted for 17% of variance in attitudes toward evidence-based practice, with years of experience and organizational resources being the significant predictors. Specifically, more time working in child welfare and better organizational resources (e.g., training, staffing, supervision) predict more positive attitudes toward evidence-based practice. Level of education was marginally significant when using individual characteristics to predict attitudes towards evidence-based practice but was no longer significant when organizational facilitators were added to the model.

Conclusions and Implications

The results of this study indicate that both individual characteristics and organizational facilitators are influential aspects that contribute to attitudes toward evidence-based practice among child welfare professionals. Further, findings highlight opportunities for social work researchers to collaborate with child welfare agencies around training related to the value of evidence-based practices. Social work researchers can also help agencies develop best practices related to supervision and approaches to staffing that may promote positive perceptions and utilization of evidence-based practices for the families they serve.