Data Collection and Analysis
All Child First affiliate sites report to the National Program Office on two types of data: (1) Process data or Metrics and (2) Outcome data. The Child First NPO has established Benchmarks for both types of data. These are used for ongoing assessment of implementation at the affiliate sites and for Child First Accreditation.
Monthly Metrics:
- The Child First NPO has established Metric Benchmarks, which include: # of families served, # of visits/week, # of missed appointments, ages of children, assessments completed, connection to community resources, and prioritization of waitlist.
- Metric reports are made available to each Child First site on a monthly basis. The State Clinical Director reviews these reports with each site to promote problem solving and the development of program-based quality enhancement strategies. Successful and innovative strategies are frequently shared with the Child First Network.
Assessment Data Collection and Analysis:
- All Child First sites must collect baseline, 6 month, and outcome assessment data according to the Child First Assessment Protocol. All assessment data much be entered into the Child First cross-site, web-based data collection system (or another system approved by the Child First NPO). Assessment data must be entered within one week of collection, to promote use of scores in formulating treatment.
- Outcome reports are provided to all Child First affiliate sites (which include both site-level and team-level data) on a quarterly basis.
- Analysis of data by the Research and Evaluation Team at the University of CT Health Center provides opportunities for identifying challenges and problem solving, with enhanced training provided by the NPO, if needed. Effectiveness of variations in implementation across program sites are explored, leading to shared quality improvement strategies across the Child First Network.
Continuous Quality Enhancement and Technical Assistance
Quality Enhancement (QE) Team:
- A Quality Enhancement (QE) Team from the National Program Office works with all affiliate Child First programs. They are responsible for working with the Child First sites to ensure timely and accurate data collection and entry and to provide monthly Metric and quarterly Assessment Outcome reports to all affiliate sites.
Reflective Clinical Consultation:
- Reflective clinical consultation is provided to all Child First affiliate sites on an ongoing basis. The State Clinical Director meets with each Clinical Director every other week to discuss issues around specific clinical challenges, clinical fidelity, and staff supervision.
Continuous Quality Improvement:
- The State Clinical Director consults with each site on a monthly basis so that the staff understand the significance of their data and create strategies to continuously improve implementation and outcomes.
Performance Improvement Plans:
- If monthly data review identifies difficulties in reaching appropriate benchmarks or lack of fidelity to the clinical model, a full meeting with the QE Team and the affiliate site Clinical Director and Senior Leader is held. At this time, a Performance Improvement Plan is created by the QE Team in collaboration with the Child First affiliate site, with specific goals and timelines. Progress in meeting the goals of this plan is monitored on a monthly basis. Success of this process is a critical element in the Accreditation process.
Technical assistance:
- Child First CEO, COO, and State Clinical Director conduct group meetings and conference calls with Child First Network Senior Leaders. Technical assistance from the Child First NPO may be requested at any time.
