Creating a Climate of Safety: An Evaluation of the School Based Child Welfare Social Worker Program in Huron and Renfrew Counties

Across Ontario, child welfare agencies are collaborating with school boards to place social workers in schools. This report presents the findings of an outcome valuation of two such programs. The evaluation design included 56 in-depth interviews with children, parents, and other key stakeholders. It also included a survey of 211 teachers, and a quasi-experimental component that tracked child outcomes for 159 children over the first six months of participation. The study compares two models of school-based social work to traditional agency-based approaches. Findings suggest that schoolbased social workers connect with children that agency-based models miss. School-board/child welfare partnerships extend the reach of both institutions, and help parents and teachers to feel comfortable collaborating with child welfare workers.