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Evidence-Based Practice
Use the following resources to learn more about child abuse prevention programs and strategies supported by scientific research. These resources can help programs choose and implement evidence-based practices that will suit the needs of the families and communities they serve. Resources include State and local examples.
The practices included below have been identified by their developers or an outside group as "evidence-based." Child Welfare Information Gateway and the Children's Bureau do not endorse individual practices or programs or make any claims about the effectiveness of the approaches described. This information is provided as a resource.
Evidence-Based and Evidence-Informed Programs: Prevention Program Descriptions Classified by CBCAP Evidence-Based and Evidence-Informed Categories (PDF - 659 KB)
FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (2009)
Describes and categorizes the level of evidence for effectiveness of almost 30 child abuse prevention and family support programs based on the ratings they received from four national registries for evidence-based programs.
Supporting Evidence-Based Home Visiting
FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention
Describes the efforts of 17 federally funded grantees implementing evidence-based home visiting programs in their communities. The website includes information on home visiting models, cross-site evaluation results, and more. Also find summary information and materials on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.
Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness (HomVEE)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Presents the results of a research review that assessed the evidence of effectiveness for home visiting program models designed for families with pregnant women and children up to age 5. The website provides program model reports, outcome domain reports, implementation profiles, a study search tool, and more.
Addressing Common Forms of Child Maltreatment: Evidence-Informed Interventions and Gaps in Current Knowledge (PDF - 330 KB)
Casey Family Programs (2012)
Reviews interventions for preventing the occurrence and recurrence of major types of child maltreatment and discusses  implications for practice, evaluation, policy, and agency management, including intervention knowledge gaps that showcase areas in need of additional practice research.
Evidence-Based Model Crosswalk to Benchmarks: Model Alignment With Benchmark (PDF - 641 KB)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services & Health Resources and Services Administration (2011)
Describes the Affordable Care Act Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV), and how the act responds, through evidence-based home visiting programs, to diverse needs of children and families in at-risk communities through collaboration at the Federal, State, and community levels. This technical assistance resource tool explains how each evidence-based model aligns across MIECHV program benchmarks.
Family Connections: National Program Replication Project
University of Maryland, Baltimore
Describes a community-based neglect prevention program targeting at-risk families with children between the ages of 5 and 11. Family Connections was the only program in the nation designated as "demonstrated effective" in the prevention of child abuse and neglect in the 2003 report, Emerging Practices in the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.
Guide for Child Welfare Administrators on Evidence-Based Practice
Wilson & Walsh
American Public Human Services Association & National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators (2012)
Provides guidelines for a common language and framework with which to understand the conditions, challenges, and opportunities of evidence-based practice in child welfare.
Guidelines for CBCAP Lead Agencies on Evidence-Based and Evidence Informed Programs and Practices (PDF - 166 KB)
FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) (2007)
Provides information on the background, guidelines, and requirements of the Office of Management and Budget Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) efficiency measures for federally funded CBCAP programs.
Integrating Evidence-Based Practices Into CBCAP Programs: A Tool for Critical Discussions
FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention
Guides State child abuse prevention programs through the process of integrating evidence-informed or evidence-based practices that are the best possible fit with their service population, mission, and resources.
Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
Describes programs reviewed and rated by the Clearinghouse for their effectiveness in preventing child abuse and neglect.
Promising Practices for Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
Promising Practices Network (2009)
Reviews the effectiveness of several approaches to child abuse and neglect prevention, such as public awareness and education, skill-based curricula for children and youth, parent education programs, home visitation programs, respite and crisis care services, and family resource centers.
Social Science Rising: A Tale of Evidence Shaping Public Policy (PDF - 216 KB)
Haskins, Paxson, & Brooks-Gunn (2009)
Details the research and actions preceding the Federal Government's investment in evidence-based nurse home visiting programs and discusses the lessons learned regarding getting policymakers to consider high-quality evidence when making program funding decisions.
State and local examples
Child Maltreatment Prevention: Toward an Evidence-Based Approach (PDF - 1194 KB)
Slack, Jack, & Gjerston (Eds.) (2009)
Presents research on evidence-based practices, models, and programs that the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families will use to enhance child maltreatment prevention across the State.
Evidence-Based Practice and Logic Models (PDF - 345 KB)
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (2010)
Explains the decision to develop an efficiency measure that examines dollars and services on a continuum of evidence-based and evidence-informed programs and practices, as well as explains the use and components of the logic model developed by the FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention.
Evidence-Based Practice and Outcome Accountability
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
Provides information for child abuse prevention grantees on definitions, logic models, surveys, evaluation, strategies for locating evidence-based programs, and more.
States Using Evidence-Based Methods to Prevent Child Abuse (PDF - 565 KB)
National Conference of State Legislatures
Public Health News, 2004
Outlines States' effective child abuse prevention programs that include home visitation, comprehensive systems of care, working with families involved in the justice system, and child care and early childhood education facilities.