This article is an invited commentary and analysis of the authors' completed systematic evaluation of Child Protective Services (CPS) differential response (DR) models. I write this commentary based on 25 years of public child welfare experience followed by 13 years as a social work professor and researcher. In their review of DR, the…

Objective: To develop and explore the validity characteristics of a new measure of organizational culture in public child welfare agencies. Method: Multiple validation methods were used, including expert judgment and criterion-related validity procedures using a statewide sample of 1,033 child welfare caseworkers, supervisors, and administrators.…

Objectives: (a) to continue the development of a measure of human caring in the context of social work practice and (b) to expand a line of inquiry exploring the relationship between human caring characteristics and the retention of public child welfare workers. Methodology: Surveys were received from a sample (n = 786) child welfare workers in…

This article is a critique of the article by Robin Perry in this issue that describes a study in Florida to compare supervisor and peer performance evaluations of child welfare staff. An overview of prior studies related to the importance of the social work degree is provided. Subsequently, selected technical, design issues, and results in the…

Much anecdotal information exists about problems in courts adjudicating child welfare (CW) cases. However, little empirical research across courts, court divisions, and CW cases exists. Method: This study reports the results of a two-stage study of courts and the CW system. Stage 1 used direct, systematic court observations to identify critical…