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Evaluation, Research & Implementation

Evaluation and research have been integral to CalSWEC since its inception. Among other areas, CalSWEC assesses

  • how well social work schools prepare students for the profession,
  • the factors affecting the retention of these specially trained graduates in the workforce, and
  • graduates’ views of their preparation in the classroom and the field.

It also awards grants to empirically based curriculum development projects designed to improve practice and teaching through agency-based research.

CalSWEC’s partners are involved in efforts to integrate empirical evidence into the practices of staff working in the human services—or evidence-based practice. CalSWEC has also been a national leader in evaluation of in-service training in the human services, and provides leadership for the evaluation of the California Common Core Curricula.

CalSWEC hosts and co-sponsors statewide and national events and symposia related to evaluation, including the National Human Services Training Evaluation Symposium (NHSTES) and the Leadership Symposia on Evidence-Based Practice.

CalSWEC's Evaluation Framework

CalSWEC's Evaluation Framework, which applies to all its initiatives—Child Welfare, Mental Health, and Aging—was developed to assess the impact of CalSWEC’s educational and training programs on the quantity and quality of California's social workers who work with disadvantaged populations in public human services. This includes how well these social workers are prepared for and how long they remain in their respective fields.

Program Evaluation & Workforce Research (Tier 1)

CalSWEC's primary evaluation tier promotes efforts to enhance the workforce to improve services for the client population. This includes evaluation of the Title IV-E Stipend Program, the Mental Health Program, and the California Common Core Curricula (Child Welfare training).

Evaluation, Research, & Implementation Activities to Improve Workforce Practice (Tier 2)

CalSWEC's Tier Two activities promote the evaluation of emerging practices and the integration of the findings into workforce development activities. This includes funding for research and evaluation projects and partnerships to inform curriculum, organizing and participating in partnerships such as the Research and Training Network, and developing innovative training products such as Implementation Toolkits.

Other Research and Evaluation Resources

Numerous publications, reports and curricula have been developed as a result of CalSWEC's work. Many of them are located in the CalSWEC resource libraries for Child Welfare and Mental Health. Others have been published as presentations, reports and dissertations.