ABSTRACT: The Ruth H. Young Center (RYC) for Families and Children, in collaboration with ACTION for Child Protection and the Alabama Department of Family Services (state and local agency representatives), is evaluating the effectiveness of Alabama’s Using Comprehensive Family Assessments to Improve Child Welfare services. The evaluation will include process, practice, and outcome components. A quasi-experimental nonequivalent comparison group design will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Protective Capacity Family Assessments (PCFA) as implemented in three pilot counties compared to three matched sites where the standard comprehensive family assessment and individualized service plan practices are implemented. The purpose of this evaluation is to implement a process, practice, and program evaluation of the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Process (CAP). The mixed-method evaluation will use administrative and archival data; focus groups with workers, supervisors, and other stakeholders; surveys with workers and supervisors; interviews with families; and integrate the evaluation of the process and outcomes in Alabama’s ongoing Child and Family Services Review process.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Diane DePanfilis, PhD CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Trenette Clark, PhD FUNDING SOURCE: ACTION for Child Protection under contract with the Alabama Department of Family Sources by Cooperative Agreement with the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families
AMOUNT OF FUNDING: $149, 205 per year for five years for a total of $746,025
PROJECT DATES: November 2007 – September 2012 Products:
Interim Report
Kaye, S. (2008). Findings from the early implementation survey in Baldwin and Escambia counties. Report to Action for Child Protection. Presentations
Kaye, S. (2008). Alabama's Comprehensive Assessment Process (CAP) demonstration project: Evaluation research design. Prsentation to Alabama Department of Human Resources. | 
