Building research capacity in child welfare in Canada.
There is a surprising dearth of information about the services provided to the children and families being reported to Canadian child welfare authorities, little research on the efficacy of child welfare services in Canada, and limited evidence of new policies and programs designed to address these changes. This paper reports on a research capacity building initiative designed to address some of these issues. By fostering mutual co-operation and sharing of intellectual leadership, the Building Research Capacity initiative allows partners to innovate, build institutional capacity and mobilize research knowledge in accessible ways. The model rests on the assumption that by placing the university's research infrastructure at the service of community agencies, robust research partnerships are developed, access to agency-based research is significantly enhanced and community agencies make better use of research findings which all equate in greater research utilization and research capacity building.
School of Social Work, Philip Fisher Chair in Social Work, McGill University, 3506 University Street, Room 303, Montreal, QC H3A 2A7 Canada.
Nico
N
Trocmé
Centre for Research on Children and Families, McGill University, 3506 University Street, Room 106, Montreal, QC H3A 2A7 Canada.
Catherine
C
Roy
Canadian Research Chair in Social Services for Vulnerable Children, School of Social Work, Université de Montréal, 3150 Jean-brillant, Montreal, QC H3T 1N8 Canada.
Tonino
T
Esposito
Evidence-based practice; Partnership; Research utilization; Research-capacity building; Youth protection