Centers of Excellence offer promise for Family First implementation

With Ohio’s focus on best practice and evidence-based programs accelerating in the run-up to implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act, PCSAO commissioned a study of Centers of Excellence (COEs) as a leading approach to curating such important knowledge for child- and family-serving systems.

In the new report released today, the feasibility, role, and impact of COEs are examined in such fields as education, child welfare, criminal justice, behavioral health, and social sciences. The study, conducted by Mighty Crow Media for PCSAO, looks at available literature on these types of organizations and their operations. It includes a literature search and review focused on the definition, creation, and evaluation of COEs along with the results of interviews answering key questions about their establishment and sustainability.

Research was conducted on COEs throughout the United States and two centers abroad, with a focus on centers whose work has a relationship to the field of child welfare and the Family First Act.