Investigating Supervision and Leadership Practices to Strengthen EBP Implementation in the Child Welfare System: A Case Study Analysis.

Abstract

Effective delivery of evidence-based practices (EBPs) depends on strong supervision and leadership. This case study analysis examined how supervisors contended with barriers and facilitators of implementation of R³, a supervisor-focused strategy to improve caseworker interactions with families in the child welfare system. A stratified random sample of supervisors, those with higher scores on the Implementation Leadership Scale (n = 10) versus those with lower scores (n = 10), who participated in multiple interviews, allowed for analysis over the course of implementation. Findings demonstrate the importance of strong supervisor leadership, high quality supervision, and coaching engagement to overcoming implementation barriers. Strong supervisor leadership may facilitate an efficient transition of support from external coaches to supervision practices.