According to Ryan, the data can also be used to help identify which interventions are most successful in achieving desirable outcomes. “We want to help the state of Michigan harness the power of data associated with youth in the foster care, juvenile justice and education [public school] systems,” Ryan said. “We need to dismantle the silo approach, share data across systems so that we can better understand how children and families move through systems. It’s reasonable to think that an adolescent’s involvement with the juvenile justice system might have an impact on his or her current foster care placement. Or that moving between foster homes might have an impact on how well a ten-year-old foster girl does in school. Without sharing data, we remain in the dark about these related events.” Ryan anticipates that the analysis of overlapping system data will give social workers and policy makers a more comprehensive understanding of what is happening in families and a better sense of what’s working…and what isn’t working. Ryan believes the creation of these data-sharing partnerships provides answers to what’s happening in the field. “The university and state partnerships are ideal, because they capitalize on the collective expertise of the Department of Human Services (those working directly with the families) and the expertise of researchers at the University of Michigan.” Ryan explains that each agency has its own structure and mission.
U-M SSW Associate ProfessorJoe Ryan, MSW ’96, PhD
“Historically we haven’t witnessed many of these partnerships because the sharing of information wasn’t encouraged,” Ryan said. “There was little room for cross-system collaboration, but with improved data technologies, advances in statistically modeling and a recognition that we ought to be data driven in our decision making, I suspect we will see more states sharing data and developing long term partnerships with local universities.” Ryan believes the end game for this work is simple. “This is all about using science to improve the lives of children and families in Michigan.”
We want to help the state of Michigan harness the power of data associated with youth in the foster care, juvenile justice and education (public school) systems.
Ongoing · Summer 2014 · 15