How Evaluation Research Can Help Reform and Improve the Child Welfare System

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Abstract
The child welfare system in the United States is in crisis. Despite funding and staffing increasing, and despite legislative changes and reforms, the system still cannot meet the mandate to protect children from harm and assist caregivers and families. This paper argues that one of the key factors limiting the effectiveness of the child welfare system is that the system does not carefully and properly evaluate the interventions and programs that are used to protect children and assist families. The paper reviews the available data from evaluation research on child welfare interventions, speculates on why there is so little evaluation of child welfare interventions, and proposes a tentative solution to the paucity of research and the child welfare system crisis.