Organizational Supports for Promoting Evidence Use in Private Child Welfare Agencies

There is minimal literature about the organizational supports that private child welfare agencies have in place to pursue positive outcomes for the children and families they serve. This study drew upon the perspectives of 27 senior managers of fourteen nonprofit child and family serving agencies in six U.S. states to examine the extent to which agencies employed organizational supports for evidence use. We identified four types of organizational supports: technical and knowledge management infrastructure, leadership and strategic alignment, and linkage and exchange efforts. Managers described whether and how they used these supports to facilitate evidence-informed decision-making and practice. Managers also discussed the perceived utility of these supports, desired improvements, and additional supports they would like to access in the future. Implications for nonprofit human service organizations and managers are discussed.