Chapter 12 - Using evidence-informed practice to support vulnerable families

Summary

Learning goals

This chapter will enable you to:

1. Recognise the role that research can play in improving the lives of vulnerable families and their children

2. Be aware of contemporary views of research-informed child and family welfare practice

3. Understand how research is used by policy makers and practitioners and what factors influence their use of research

4. Understand the types of knowledge that are important in decision making for policy and practice, and

5. Think about how you might use research to inform your practice with vulnerable families and their children.

Introduction

Those who are enamored of practice without science are like a pilot who goes into a ship without rudder or compass and never has any certainty where he is going.

(Leonardo da Vinci, 1452–1519)

The National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009–2020 identifies ‘supporting a national research agenda’ as an action for the first three years of its implementation in order to support the improvement of and consistency in child protection services (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009, p. 27). A high quality evidence base has the potential to inform decision making in policy and practice (Bromfield & Arney, 2008). It can play an important role in the development and delivery of interventions (Lochman, 2006). It can also assist in screening children and families who are in need of services; provide frameworks and models for intervention; aid in assessing, refining and maximising the effectiveness of interventions; and help to identify why programs do and don't work (Lochman, 2006).