Resource Library

This research brief summarizes the state of the field on cultural competence in social services. The information is relevant for organizations serving children and families from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, but the brief highlights research and strategies in serving Hispanic populations. The brief describes cultural competence and provides service providers and administrators with concrete strategies for the ongoing self-reflection and development that is key to strengthening...

Policymakers and practitioners have a growing interest in answering questions beyond simply “does a program work?” They are also interested in learning how programs work. Mediation analysis is one tool that researchers can use to identify elements of an intervention that do, or do not, lead to improved participant outcomes. Researchers can use the results of a mediation analysis to build knowledge to improve programs...

The roundtable concluded with a discussion that focused on three themes: research design and methodology;…

Panelists indicated that intervention effects can be translated into financial benefits, but emphasized that…

What are the most effective approaches to disseminating research on human services programs...

Several projects sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) focus on Hispanic populations or on issues with particular relevance for Hispanic communities in the U.S., including children who are dual language learners, children in immigrant families, or families employed in migrant and/or seasonal industries. This list provides brief summaries of recent OPRE-sponsored research efforts that span a wide range of topics informing ACF programs and policies supporting...

Administrative data have the potential to help us answer pressing social policy questions. Government stakeholders and researchers are exploring the promises of using administrative data for research purposes.

This brief summarizes an Innovative Methods Meeting that was organized by OPRE in the fall of 2015 that considered the potential benefits and pitfalls of using administrative data for research purposes...

Policymakers are increasingly interested in using administrative data to address policy-relevant research questions. While researchers generally prefer individual-level administrative data in order to provide maximum flexibility to their analyses, it can be both difficult and costly to obtain. When individual-level data are not available or are too difficult or costly, aggregate administrative data can address many policy-relevant research questions...

This brief describes four strategies fatherhood programs can consider to promote racial equity, based on the experiences of five child welfare agencies committed to cultivating racial equity for men of color in the child welfare system, as part of the Fathers and Continuous Learning in Child Welfare (FCL) project.

There are two considerations when computing or interpreting Effect Sizes: (a) different definitions of effect…