title: The impact of evidence-based practice implementation and fidelity monitoring on staff turnover: evidence for a protective effect.
abstract: Staff retention is an ongoing challenge in mental health and community-based service organizations. Little is known about the impact of evidence-based practice implementation on the mental health and social service workforce. The present study examined the effect of evidence-based practice implementation and ongoing fidelity monitoring on staff retention in a children's services system. The study took place in the context of a statewide, regionally randomized effectiveness trial of an evidence-based intervention designed to reduce child neglect. In the study 21 teams consisting of 153 home-based service providers were followed over a 29-month period. Survival analyses revealed greater staff retention in the condition where the evidence-based practice was implemented along with ongoing fidelity monitoring presented to staff as supportive consultation. These results should help to allay concerns about staff retention when implementing evidence-based practices where there is good values-innovation fit and when fidelity monitoring is designed as an aid and support to service providers in providing a high standard of care for children and families.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA 92123, USA. gaarons@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Gregory A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Aarons
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Sommerfeld
authors.forename: Debra B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.forename: Jane F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Silovsky
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chaffin
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004651:Employment; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012153:Retention, Psychology