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Urban Institute Events







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Overcoming Challenges to Evaluating Child Welfare Programs

Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET


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Virtual Event
Evaluating child welfare programs and services requires cooperation and coordination with agency administrators, program managers, and frontline workers. Evaluation can require staff members to conduct additional activities, organize their work differently from their normal procedures, and make connections with other agencies not involved with the particular program or service. Most of these challenges can be overcome when agencies commit to understanding whether a program or service “works” and when researchers design and support their evaluation to meet the agency’s needs.


This webinar,
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based on a new series of briefs , brings together researchers who have experience working with child welfare agencies and service providers to conduct rigorous program evaluations, and agency staff members who have experienced evaluations from the inside. The researchers will discuss common challenges, and agency staff members will share their reactions and their experiences contending with competing demands, altering established procedures, creating tracking systems, and sharing data across agencies and with evaluators. They will also describe the factors that influenced their agency’s willingness and ability to undergo a rigorous program evaluation. Panelists will also discuss solutions that can support rigorous evaluation while minimizing the imposition on the agency.



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REGISTER


Speakers
- Mark Courtney, Samuel Deutsch Professor Emeritus, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, University of Chicago
- Serita Cox, Cofounder and CEO, iFoster
- Pamela Lilleston, Director, Office of Applied Research and Evaluation, New Jersey Department Children and Families
- Michael Pergamit, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute
- Shannon Quinn,Youth and Young Adult Housing Response Team Manager, Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families
- Kris Robles, Behavioral Health Clinical Manager, Connecticut Children and Families
- Bridgette Lery, Senior Fellow and Child Welfare Practice Area Lead, Urban Institute (moderator)

This work was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. We thank them for their support but acknowledge that the findings and conclusions presented in this webinar are those of the participants alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Foundation. For more on Urban Institute’s funding policies, go to
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urban.org/organizational-principles .


We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. Please email
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[email protected] if you require any accommodations or have any questions about this event.


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