Garcia will draw on data from a randomized trial to identify factors that facilitate or hinder the use of research evidence in child welfare. The trial compares the effectiveness of community development teams and technical assistance to implement an evidence-based practice within two statewide child welfare systems. Garcia will examine how organizational factors (e.g., climate, culture, and readiness for change) relate to provider attitudes about implementing Multi-Dimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC), the evidence-based practice of interest. The study will also examine whether provider attitudes and practices mediate the relationship between organizational factors and use of MTFC. Garcia will conduct secondary analysis of survey data collected from 159 system leaders in 51 counties in California and Ohio. The survey includes data about leaders’ exchanges with providers, perceptions of their organizations’ climates and readiness for change, and their use of and attitudes toward research. Garcia is a young, promising researcher of color who was a student of Larry Palinkas, a current Foundation grantee who will offer consultation on the project.
While evidence-based practices are available to promote positive developmental outcomes for youth in the child welfare system, they are not routinely provided.
