Driving organization and systems change toward trauma-responsive services in child welfare: supervisor and administrator perspectives on initial implementation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite trauma as a prevalent and substantial need among children in foster care, child welfare systems are challenged with fully implementing trauma-responsive programs and policies. Furthermore, evidence on effective implementation strategies for trauma-responsive programs in child welfare is scarce. This study’s overarching purpose was to examine child welfare supervisor and administrator views on the initial implementation of a trauma-responsive approach through an organization driver lens. We sought to build knowledge on the ways in which organization drivers of systems intervention, facilitative administration, and decision-support data systems facilitate or inhibit initial implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 child welfare supervisors and administrators implementing a trauma-responsive assessment and case planning approach. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using theoretical thematic analysis. Applying organization drivers to the results, multiple facilitators and barriers were identified. Collectively, findings suggest that implementation of trauma-responsive programs in child welfare should consider all organization drivers as relevant to initial implementation, emphasizing systems intervention and facilitative administration drivers as the most vital to successful implementations. Translational researchers and implementation scientists should strive to identify robust implementation strategies for addressing organization and systems level factors as key supports for initial implementation of trauma-responsive programs and policies.