Action Research has three types of projects. To learn more about each type, click on the links below.
Strategic CONSULTING
Action Research collaborates with many stakeholders including local and state child welfare systems, family courts, advocates for children and parents, private service providers and others working to improve the lives of children and families. Our projects aim to improve preventive services that help strengthen families and keep children safely in their homes; streamline processes to have children live with safe, loving, and permanent families—with safe reunification the first and best option; expand the foster care provider pool; improve the fiscal models to reward better outcomes; enhance services and outcomes for older youth in foster care; and more."
Supporting Monitors of Child Welfare Litigation Settlements
Advocates for children and public child welfare agency are engaged frequently in class action litigation. In many states and localities, the parties sign settlement agreements that commit the public agency to undertake reforms and meet performance goals. Action Research supports the monitors appointed to provide neutral assessments of the progress of reforms by analyzing administrative data provided by public agencies and consulting on data and analysis issues.
Evaluating Innovations in Child Welfare
We specialize in evaluating innovative child welfare programs. leveraging our expertise in administrative data and understanding of child welfare systems to provide actionable insights to improve outcomes for children and families. While we use rigorous social science methods in our evaluations, we also have a unique approach to evaluation that focuses on learning and decision-making. We invest in building trusting relationships, draw on knowledge embedded in and around programs, minimize the burden of research, and pay attention to when results from evaluation are most helpful to decision makers.