Child Welfare
Child Welfare
We partner with Illinois public and private child welfare agencies to improve the quality and accessibility of services for every child in our city.
JPA’s child welfare consultants are experts in practice, quantitative and qualitative research methods, evaluation, and quality improvement in the areas of trauma, mental health, child protection, and foster and residential care. Our wide-ranging experience and knowledge help us tailor collaborative projects and consultations to meet the unique needs of public and private agencies in Illinois and nationally.
Our partners include state child welfare agencies, children’s advocacy centers, child abuse pediatricians, and foundations. Current or recent projects include: developing and refining theories of change; improving decision-making capabilities; assessing and building evaluation and quality improvement capacity; measuring and evaluating service quality and outcomes; designing and analyzing indicators of child well-being; understanding the factors and barriers to achieving outcomes and implementing meaningful quality improvement processes.
Research
Evaluation
Best Practices
Consulting
Client referrals are available upon request.
Stephen Budde, PhD, LCSW
Executive Vice President
Dr. Budde has over 30 years of experience in child welfare and mental health as a researcher, teacher, administrator, trainer, consultant, and clinical social worker. With JPA and in his previous research at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, Dr. Budde has given multiple presentations at national and international conferences and written major evaluation reports and professional publications. He oversees JPA’s expert assessments recommending to courts the best permanent options for children in care in cases with high levels of conflict or uncertainty. Dr. Budde also lectures in clinical research and decision making at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.
For more information, please contact:
Stephen Budde, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, sbudde@jpachicago.org.