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Placing Evidence-Based Interventions at the Fingertips of School Social Workers

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Abstract

Through a university–community collaborative partnership, the perceived needs of evidence-based practices (EBPs) among school social workers (SSWs) in a large school district in central Florida was assessed. A survey (response rate = 83.6%) found that although 70% of SSWs claim to use EBPs in their everyday practice, 40% do not know where to find them, which may partially explain why 78% of respondents claim to spend 1 to 4 h every week looking for adequate EBPs. From this needs assessment, the translational model was used to address these perceived needs. A systematic review of the literature found 40 tier 2 EBPs, most of which (23%) target substance use, abuse, and dependence. After discussion with academic and community partners, the stakeholders designed, discussed, and implemented a searchable, online, password-protected, interface of these tier 2 EBPs, named Evidence-Based Intervention Toolkit (eBIT). Lessons learned, future directions, and implications of this “one-stop shop” for behavioral health are discussed.

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Notes

  1. The authors thank an anonymous peer-reviewer for suggesting the incorporation of this idea.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the staff at the Institute for Translational Research in Adolescent Behavioral Health (ITRABH) at the University of South Florida: Julie Baldwin, PhD, and Bruce L. Levin, PhD, Institute Professors, and Heather Williamson, DrPH, OTR/L, MBA, Graduate Assistant. The authors also thank the staff at Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS): (1) in the School Social Work (SSW) Services Steering Committee: Lynnette Judge, MSW and Evelyn Pearce-Fearson, MSW and (2) in the Department of Information Technology (IT): Daniel I. Schultz, General Manager of Information and Technology; Ken Bazick, Department Manager, IT, Architecture and Integration; Christopher Franklin; and Marianna Aman.

Disclaimer

This research was supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Grant 1R25DA031103-01A1 and the Professional Excellence Scholarship of the National Secretariat For Science, Technology, and Innovation (SENACYT), Panama City, Republic of Panama.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Translational Research in Adolescent Behavioral Health, University of South Florida (USF), Tampa, FL, USA

    Humberto López Castillo MD, MEd, MSc, CPH(Provisional), Tommi Rivers BA, Catherine Randall PhD, MSW, Tiina Ojanen PhD, Oliver “Tom” Massey PhD & Donna Burton PhD

  2. Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, USF, Tampa, FL, USA

    Humberto López Castillo MD, MEd, MSc, CPH(Provisional)

  3. National Secretariat for Science, Technology, and Innovation (SENACYT), Panama, Republic of Panama

    Humberto López Castillo MD, MEd, MSc, CPH(Provisional)

  4. Florida Prevention Research Center, College of Public Health, USF, Tampa, FL, USA

    Tommi Rivers BA

  5. Behavioral Health and Wellness, Operation PAR, Inc., Tampa, FL, USA

    Tommi Rivers BA

  6. School of Social Work, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, USF, Tampa, FL, USA

    Catherine Randall PhD, MSW

  7. School Social Work Services, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Tampa, FL, USA

    Catherine Randall PhD, MSW & Ken Gaughan EdD, LCSW

  8. Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, USF, Tampa, FL, USA

    Tiina Ojanen PhD

  9. Department of Child and Family Studies, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, USF, Tampa, FL, USA

    Oliver “Tom” Massey PhD & Donna Burton PhD

  10. 13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC56, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Humberto López Castillo MD, MEd, MSc, CPH(Provisional)

Authors
  1. Humberto López Castillo MD, MEd, MSc, CPH(Provisional)
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  2. Tommi Rivers BA
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  3. Catherine Randall PhD, MSW
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  4. Ken Gaughan EdD, LCSW
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  5. Tiina Ojanen PhD
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  6. Oliver “Tom” Massey PhD
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  7. Donna Burton PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Humberto López Castillo MD, MEd, MSc, CPH(Provisional).

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest in the conduction of the research and in the preparation of this manuscript.

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Castillo, H.L., Rivers, T., Randall, C. et al. Placing Evidence-Based Interventions at the Fingertips of School Social Workers. J Behav Health Serv Res 43, 474–483 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-015-9493-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-015-9493-4

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