Child welfare professional education in trauma-informed care: a mixed-methods evaluation study

Child welfare professionals require high-quality training to support them in carrying out their complex roles. Trauma-informed care is an approach identified that may improve child welfare standards of care. This paper describes a mixed-methods approach that was applied to evaluate a newly developed post-graduate–level trauma-informed care programme for child welfare professionals in Ireland. An outcome evaluation and process evaluation were integrated to capture a comprehensive understanding of the effects of the programme. Study participants were 41 child welfare professionals that included front-line practitioners, supervisors and senior managers working in the national child welfare and protection agency in Ireland. A convergent mixed-methods model with data integration was used. Coding matrix methods were employed to integrate data. Across component studies, convergence results were found for (1) programme acceptability and (2) dynamic learning acquisition, and complementary results were found for (1) changes in practice and (2) need for sustainability. This research provides support for the capacity building of child welfare professionals through the integration of trauma-informed practice with existing practices. The integrative findings are discussed in relation to effects and future implementation.