Scaling the Safe & Connected Practice Model: How to Raise the Evidence-Base of Prevention Programs

In this interactive workshop, presenters provide insight into how to raise the evidence-base and prepare a program for submission to the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse so states can include it in their Family First Prevention Plans and seek federal reimbursement. Multiple cross-system social workers have a role in the implementation of Family First and many have home-grown interventions they would like to see listed on the Clearinghouse. In addition, we recognize the nationwide need for a practice model to assist the growing prevention workforce with understanding their roles and responsibilities. Therefore, we use our experience scaling the Safe & Connected practice model to become an evidence-based practice to provide guidance on this process and to share lessons learned. We begin with an overview and introduction to the Safe & Connected practice model and Consultation & Information Sharing Framework. Since the passage of Families First, states have increasingly implemented evidence-based interventions but often lack a comprehensive practice model that ensures quality engagement, assessment, and alignment of services to address identified needs. The Safe & Connected practice model and Consultation & Information Sharing Framework represent a basic structure supporting critical thinking, applied knowledge, collaborative practice, comprehensive assessment, and inclusion. The Consultation & Information Sharing Framework has been utilized across disciplines and functionally organizes all available information, views and perspectives in ongoing assessment, intervention planning and decision-making focused on specified outcomes. The approach emphasizes the importance of working in partnership with families and collaboratively with service providers and offers a new model of service delivery that differs from a traditional child welfare approach. Despite the widespread use of the Safe & Connected practice model, it has not been formally evaluated. We then provide an overview of our work to prepare for submission to the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse and discuss key activities that occurred across three key phases, including the 1) review and refinement of the Safe & Connected Practice Model and Consultation & Information Sharing Framework to promote consistency with evidence-based standards defined by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse; 2) co-development of materials to support the implementation of the model as part of Family First interventions across the country; and 3) the design of a rigorous evaluation of Safe & Connected to build evidence for the practice model. We discuss our process across each phase of work and share examples of tools that we developed to scale Safe & Connected to inform the work of others who may desire to raise the evidence-base of other programs. Presenters include the model purveyor and members of the Chapin Hall team who provided support to prepare the model for submission to the Clearinghouse and who will conduct the evaluation. Our diverse team of presenters offer multiple perspectives of the model and the work. Following our presentation of how to scale a practice model to become evidence-based, we will facilitate a dialogue with panelists, providing attendees an opportunity to ask questions and solicit feedback from our team.