I3

THE INTERFACE OF SCIENCE AND ACTION, PART 2: USING EVIDENCE TO SHAPE POLICY AND PRACTICE

Presenters: Deborah Daro, Vickie Marchand, Lisbeth Schorr

Abstract Category: Prevention 

Instruction Level: Intermediate

Presentation: Click Here

Description:       

This presentation identifies multiple ways to generate and appropriately apply empirical evidence in shaping prevention programs and policies, and describes the impact on policy and program design of a more inclusive approach to what is considered “evidence-based”.

Abstract:

Deborah Daro presentation:  When faced with the need to select a given strategy or define a specific service delivery process, policy makers, agency directors and direct service staff are increasingly being asked to view their decisions through an “evidence-based” lens.  Competing alternatives are valued in light of the level of credible evidence they can offer as to their significant and meaningful impacts.  The evaluative findings counted in such assessments are generally limited to findings from clinical randomized trials or, in some instances, carefully crafted quasi-experimental designs.  The logic behind this decision making framework is that such standards increase the likelihood that programs and policies selected for replication will reflect rigorous thinking and will, therefore, maximize impacts and increase the odds that public and private resources will be invested wisely.

The purpose of this presentation is to examine the ways in which evidence can be defined and applied at various points in the program and policy planning process. In crafting a fully functioning evidence-based decision making process, the appropriate evidence base is neither absolute nor self-evident.  Standards of evidence may change depending upon the type of decision being made or the type of problem being addressed.  The presentation discusses strategies for integrating information from diverse sources and outlines several areas in which additional research is needed if prevention efforts are to maximize their potential including greater clarity regarding the most accurate and appropriate way to measure child abuse prevention and additional longitudinal research to track the extent to which initial progress on various proximate outcomes is both sustained over time and sufficiently robust to reduce subsequent reports of maltreatment or involvement with child protective services. 

In addition, building our knowledge base will require that  interventions operate under a framework in which information is continuously collected and fed back into the decision making process. Specifically, this presentation discusses the use of empirical evidence in building evidence based decision making systems within organizations rather than setting an absolute standard for labeling a given practice or model as “evidence-based”.

Lisbeth Schorr presentation:  An inclusive approach to what is considered “evidence-based,” as described in Dr. Daro’s presentation, is essential to the solution of many seemingly intractable social problems, including the reduction of child abuse and neglect.  When policymakers and program designers rely on a narrow definition of what constitutes evidence of effectiveness, they risk diminishing their own effectiveness because they have too thin a knowledge base to draw on.

Vicky Marchand presentation:  This presentation will identify the specific implications of the issues raised by Deborah Daro and Lisbeth Schorr for the prevention of child abuse.