title: Report of the APSAC Task Force on evidence-based service planning guidelines for child welfare.
abstract: This article presents the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) Task Force report on the evidence-based service planning (EBSP) approach to child welfare services (CWS) plans and recommendations for practice. The focus of the policy report is on formal psychosocial services. CWS plans prescribe services to promote core child welfare objectives and to benefit children and families. The goal of EBSP is to construct service plans based on the general principles of evidence-based practice and prefer services with empirical support for clinical problems or needs associated with the causes or consequences of child abuse and neglect (CAN). EBSP aims to facilitate an overarching service approach that is collaborative, respectful, and includes services that are most likely to lead to outcomes on both family identified and child welfare mission goals. EBSP emphasizes a focused, assessment-driven, and science-informed approach that both favors plans that are sufficient and avoids overburdening families with compulsory services that address problems which are not directly related to the child welfare CAN referral.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA monica.fitzgerald@colorado.edu.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Berliner
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Monica M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dorsey
authors.affiliation: Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chaffin
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Ondersma
authors.affiliation: San Diego Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006285:Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D011050:Policy Making; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D014481:United States
keywords: child welfare; child welfare workers; evidence-based practice; mental health services; professionals; service delivery