Dale Fitch

From Data to Intelligence

Abstract Technology is transforming societal systems in ways not previously considered. Businesses have had the resources and incentives to implement technological advances much quicker than have human service agencies. This article examines business uses of technology and applies the concepts and principles to the human service delivery system. The result is the conceptualization of an intelligent organization linked to a virtual infrastructure that connects agencies locally and globally in order to accumulate, enhance, and disseminate agency, field, and professional expertise. Concepts are illustrated using examples from the area of child protective services. This analysis points to the need for human service professionals to become partners in creating the global knowledge and the technology infrastructure that deliver information when and where it is needed to guide then-decision making and create systems that learn.

The Equivalence of the Behavior Problem Index Across U.S. Ethnic Groups

In this study, the authors examine the equivalence of the factor structure of a commonly used symptom checklist of behavioral and emotional problems—the Behavior Problem Index (BPI)—across African American, Hispanic, and White children in the United States. The sample is drawn from the 1998 data file of the Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a U.S. data set. The results of the study suggest that the BPI is not equivalent across the three ethnic groups. These findings are consistent when equivalence is tested for a one-factor model, a two-factor model using the internalizing and externalizing dimensions of the BPI, and a six-factor model using the subscales of the BPI. Item-level analyses identify the statistically significant items that are associated with nonequivalence across ethnic groups. The implications of nonequivalent measures for cross-cultural research and practice with families and children are discussed.

Using agency data for evidence-based programming: A university–agency collaboration

Agencies providing residential treatment are encouraged, or even mandated, to collect outcomes data and to implement evidence based practices, yet little guidance has been provided on how to do so using agency administrative data that are collected on an ongoing basis. We examined data on Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) scores for 1608 admissions to a residential treatment center from 2002 through 2008. CAFAS scores were measured every 90 days, providing multiple CAFAS scores for each individual. Results demonstrated that on average residents improved in functioning over time. Sensitive to the evolving needs of residents who had been entering the program, the treatment center made significant program changes in 2006 to attempt to better serve residents through a broad array of specialized programming. Compared to the overall results, the analysis suggested that residents who entered the program since October 2006 appeared to have made larger improvements in their CAFAS scores. Results were derived by employing multilevel models appropriate for estimating growth trajectories with repeated measures data. Conversations with agency staff suggested that using administrative data, and advanced statistical models, were extremely helpful for organizational decision making and evidence-based programming.

A Shared Point of Access to Facilitate Interagency Collaboration

Elders and their caregivers oftentimes have difficulty coordinating services among human service agencies. In addition, service providers spend countless hours collecting information that has already been collected by other service providers, and suboptimal communication between agencies hinders the ability to coordinate services. The project discussed in this paper prototyped the use of a Shared Point of Access (SPA) between a group of nonprofit agencies providing services to senior citizens to facilitate interagency case management. Its design and development, specifically including leadership issues, database system models, HIPAA, and governance structures, are outlined in this paper.

Examination of the child protective services decision-making context with implications for decision support system design

Abstract The general perception of Child Protective Services (CPS) decision making is that it is inconsistent and prone to error. As a result, risk assessment instruments were developed to enable investigators to make better decisions. The present study uses a qualitative approach with an explicit theoretical framework pertinent to management information systems and decision support system design to examine the context in which investigators operate and make decisions. The resulting information can be used to determine design requirements that would improve the experience of using a risk assessment instrument that serves as a decision support system (DSS) for CPS investigators.

Envisioning Public Child Welfare Agencies as Learning Organizations: Applying Beer's Viable System Model to Title IV-E Program Evaluation

The idea of a learning organization emerges from organizational cybernetics and results in agency staff having the means to use their skills and expertise to meet the needs of the organizations clients. Relevant to Title IV-E training programs, such organizational processes would maximize the use of knowledge and skills the graduates bring back to the agency. This article uses focus group data to explore how Title IV-E graduates perceive the potentialities of their agency as a learning organization. This analysis results in recommendations to improve organizational performance without impinging on existing agency resource constraints.

Homeless Management Information System Customization Intervention

Homeless management information systems (HMISs) are being implemented nationwide in response to a Congressional mandate to understand the phenomenon of homelessness. Though federal dollars have been provided to implement these systems and though HMISs have been developed by private vendors to meet this mandate, most shelters are not utilizing these systems fully. A case study was undertaken to understand why that was happening in one shelter. Using a cybernetic system analysis revealed the information flows in the agency, thereby allowing me to customize the HMIS, making it more likely to be used for daily shelter operations.

I Know God’s Got a Day 4 Me: Violence, Trauma, and Coping Among Gang-Involved Twitter Users

Trauma-based interventions are common in mental health practice, and yet there is a gap in services because social media has created new ways of managing trauma. Practitioners identify treatments for traumatic experiences and are trained to implement evidence-based practices, but there is limited research that uses social media as a data source. We use a case study to explore over 400 Twitter communications of a gang member in Chicago’s Southside, Gakirah Barnes, who mourned the death of her friend on Twitter. We further explore how, following her own death, members of her Twitter network mourn her. We describe expressions of trauma that are difficult to uncover in traditional trauma-based services. We discuss practice and research implications regarding using Twitter to address trauma among gang-involved youth.

An Organizational Cybernetics Framework for Achieving Balance in Evidence-Based Practice and Practice-Based Evidence

This article applies the systems science of organizational cybernetics to the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) in the provision of social work services in a residential treatment center setting. It does so by systemically balancing EBP with practice-based evidence (PBE) with a focus on the organizational and information system infrastructures necessary to ensure successful implementation. This application is illustrated by discussing a residential treatment program that implemented evidence-based programming and evaluated the results; however, the systemic principles articulated can be applied to any human services organizational setting.

Examining Organizational Functioning Through the Lens of Complexity Theory Using System Dynamics Modeling

ABSTRACT The methodologies associated with complexity theory might serve as an adjunct to some of our more traditional behavioral social science research methods. While the latter has a well-established history in social work, the approaches related to complexity theory are just now gaining a foothold. One such approach is system dynamics modeling. This article will describe the application of system dynamics modeling to a well-known early intervention program. The manner in which it complements traditional research approaches will be discussed, and its unique contribution to understanding the organizational aspects of complexity theory will be highlighted.