Quality Standards Assessment Added to the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse

After more than a decade of development and research, the Quality Standards Assessment (QSA), has been added to the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), one of the nation's leading evidence-based practice registries in child welfare and related fields.

The Quality Standard Assessment is a primary assessment tool utilized by the Institute for Quality Children’s Services (IQCS) at the FSU College of Social Work to evaluate the quality of children’s residential care programs.

The CEBC now includes both versions of the assessment including the

• Quality Standards Assessment – Youth Version (QSA-Y) that assesses the extent to which children’s residential centers consistently implement research-informed quality practice standards associated with positive youth outcomes. The assessment tool designed to evaluate the quality of children’s residential group care programs from the youth perspective.
   
• Quality Standards Assessment – Child Care Professional Version (QSA-CCP) that assesses the extent to which children’s residential centers consistently implement research-informed quality practice standards that are associated with positive youth outcomes. The assessment tool designed to evaluate the quality of children’s residential group care programs based on childcare professional ratings.

Both assessment tools received the clearinghouse’s highest Measurement Tools rating, "A – Psychometrics Well-Demonstrated.” This rating reflects strong published evidence supporting each tools’ reliability and validity.

Led by IQCS Director, Shamra Boel-Studt, the Quality Standard Assessment was originally developed with support from the Florida Institute for Child Welfare and the Florida Department of Children and Families to advance quality, accountability, and outcomes for children and youth in residential care.

Over the years, the assessment has evolved through extensive collaboration with youth, practitioners, providers, researchers, and system partners. Today, the QSA is recognized as a research-informed tool for assessing and improving the quality of residential care services and supporting continuous quality improvement efforts.

To learn more visit the Institute for Quality Children’s Services website or email Dr. Boel Studt at sbolestudt@fsu.edu.