1 Unit 6 Pre-Test Final

OMB Control No: 0970-0401

Expiration date: 5/31/2018

Unit 6 Pre-Test

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THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13)

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Instructions:

The following pre-test questions are designed to measure your pre-existing knowledge about the concepts presented in the content.

Questions

1. A fictional child welfare agency has tested a new intervention. The intervention received positive feedback from families in the community, and data collected by agency staff after implementation showed improved performance compared to data from before the intervention was implemented. An astute case worker reminded her colleagues to be cautious before drawing firm conclusions about the intervention. What factors might she have discussed related to the evidence supporting this intervention?

1. The quality of the data should be checked, because poor data quality could cause misleading findings.

2. It’s possible that the observed improvement could be due to factors other than the intervention.

3. A rigorous evaluation is necessary to establish confidence that the changes in performance are the result of the intervention.

4. All of the above.

2. Complete the sentence: An agency that supports a continuous learning environment _____________.

1. hears and considers staff and stakeholder views.

2. assesses and responds to the needs of the community.

3. seeks to operate effectively and employ evidence-based practice.

4. All of the above.

3. True or False: The data in a management information system (MIS) are only as good as the data entered by frontline workers.
   

1. True

2. False

4. One important function of national data sets, such as the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), is to:

1. Provide a database of best practices for CQI managers researching child welfare policies to improve practice and strengthen capacity

2. Give families an option for recourse in cases of poor outcomes resulting from untested interventions

3. Serve as clearinghouses for evidence-supported interventions as well as untested interventions for child welfare agencies

4. Allow states to compare their performance with that of other states and to national benchmarks

5. Agency Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) processes can support evidence-building efforts by:

1. Focusing agency efforts on assuring the timeliness and accuracy of data

2. Revising agency practices and standards as needed to address state and local policy changes

3. Publishing intervention results in leading peer reviewed journals and federal reports

4. Reducing the need to invest in the implementation time required for testing evidence-supported interventions

6. Select the inaccurate statement:

1. Evidence-supported interventions are well-defined practices, programs, services, or policies that are approved by the child welfare agency directors of at least five states.

2. Evidence-based practice integrates the best available research evidence with clinical and child welfare practice expertise and child and family characteristics, culture, and preferences.

3. CQI is the complete process of identifying, describing, and analyzing strengths and problems, and then testing, implementing, learning from, and revising strategies to improve performance.

4. A learning environment is one that values all voices, is open to new ways of doing things, and empowers staff and partners.

7. In the CQI process, the step following implementation of the selected solution as intended is:

1. Develop a theory of change.

2. Spread the solution throughout all appropriate units of your agency.

3. Research possible solutions.

4. Monitor data to see if the desired outcomes are being achieved.

8. A fictional child welfare agency has resolved to make their agency a more supportive environment for continuous learning. Which of these steps would be most likely to support this change?

1. Recruiting recognized experts from outside the agency to implement CQI processes

2. Conducting a review of data, outcomes, and indicators on a time-limited basis to increase agency efficiency

3. Holding meetings with agency staff and stakeholders to discuss and get input on agency processes for reviewing outcomes and setting quality standards

4. Ensuring appropriate MIS information is used for evaluation of child abuse prevention programs

9. Which of the following statements best describes case reviews?

1. Randomized controlled trial analyses of individual cases within the treatment and comparison groups used to determine the effectiveness of interventions

2. Systematic reviews of a sample of individual cases to make judgments of the quality of services being delivered and whether protocols are being followed

3. Reviews of aggregate data that allow an agency to see the characteristics of the children and families it serves

4. Processes for analyzing and reviewing the distribution of cases and the caseload sizes of individual agency workers

10. Fill in the blank: An MIS is useful for ______________________ that allow an agency to see the characteristics of the children and families it serves and to track agency-wide and unit-specific outputs and outcome indicators.

1. aggregating data and producing reports

2. identifying interventions and monitoring outcomes

3. conducting systematic reviews

4. making assessments of service quality

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