The Organizational Process Improvement unit facilitates Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Collaboratives. In a PDSA Collaborative, local child welfare agencies send a team comprised of workers and a supervisor(s) to learn how to implement organizational change using the PDSA model. Teams attend planning sessions. In between planning sessions, teams engage in action periods where they test organizational changes back at their agency. All teams in the PDSA Collaborative are working on a shared change topic but may test different change strategies during their action periods. Planning sessions and technical assistance calls provide agency teams opportunities for joint learning, problem-solving, and sharing resources across other participating agencies in the collaborative.
2024 & 2025 Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) Collaboratives Topic: Improving Professional Collaboration
Child welfare and youth justice professionals often work with families who need behavioral health services (substance use and/or mental health), or supportive services for developmental, physical, or emotional disabilities (such as birth-to-three or long-term support services). The provision of effective services and treatment to improve families’ well-being relies on professional collaboration across human services systems. The mission of the 2024 & 2025 Plan-Do-Study-Act Collaboratives is for child welfare and human services/behavioral health to enhance their collaboration resulting in the needs of children and families being better understood and services for children and families that are family-centered, strengths-based, streamlined, supportive and flexible. Through this work, agencies will work to:
- improve their understanding of their collaborating partner’s mission, philosophy, goals, requirements, roles, and language;
- create clear and consistent protocols and procedures to coordinate access to information and services between collaborating partners; and / or
- develop agreements with collaborating partners on next steps and desired outcomes for families.
Additional information regarding this collaborative is available in the Collaborative Charter, Flyer, and Application tabs.
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
How to Apply
Applications for the fall 2024 PDSA Collaborative (cohort 2) are now closed. The winter 2025 PDSA Collaborative (cohort 3) application is requested by October 31, 2024. Please email completed applications to Jenny Fahy at jlfahy@wisc.edu
Change Package
- A change package is a resource that contains a theory of change and resource/tools for testing practice changes related to the Collaborative topic.
- Click below to read the PDSA Collaborative on Improving Professional Collaboration Change Package
2022 & 2023 PDSA Collaborative on Identifying and Engaging Non-Custodial Parents
Non-custodial parents can provide valuable child welfare assessment and case planning information and be significant sources of physical and emotional support for their children. The mission of the 2022 & 2023 Plan-Do-Study-Act Collaborative is to transform agency culture and practices to prioritize early, persistent, and continual efforts to identify, locate, contact, and engage non-custodial parents during the agency’s involvement with the family to:
- increase natural supports and resources to children and families,
- benefit child and youth well-being in identity and moral development and cultural connections,
- provide resources for increased Child Protective Services in-home safety plans or Youth Justice evidence-based in-home services or interventions,
- increase likelihood that the child or youth remains with family through facilitating timely permanence with a custodial or non-custodial parent or placement with kin (congruent with Family First legislation), and
- improve county and/or tribal agency outcomes by engaging the non-custodial parent in child(ren), youth, and/or families’ lives.
To learn more about the PDSA Collaborative, please review the charter, change package, project reports, and successful change summaries in the links to the right.
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Charter
The charter contains the 2022 and 2023 PDSA Collaboratives’ mission, goals, and planning information
Change Package
- A change package is a resource that contains a theory of change and resource/tools for testing practice changes related to the Collaborative topic.
- Click below to read the PDSA Collaborative on Identifying & Engaging Non-Custodial Parents Change Package.
PDSA Collaborative on Identifying and Engaging Non-Custodial Parents: Project Reports.
Successful PSDA Changes
At the end of the collaborative, PDSA teams documented their successful changes and provided tools for other agencies to use to improve the identification and engagement of non-custodial parents
2020 & 2021 Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) Collaboratives on Quality Workers Visits
The topic of the 2020 & 2021 PDSA Collaboratives was improving the quality of worker visits with children, youth, caregivers, and providers. In child welfare practice, change happens in the context of relationships. Worker visits with children, youth, caregivers, and providers comprise the cornerstone of relationship development and are one of the most important ways to promote positive child outcomes.
The resources at right explain the mission and goals of the 2020 and 2021 Collaboratives. In addition, resources and tips are provided for making successful changes to worker visit practice based on lessons learned by the participating agency teams.
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Charter
The charter contains the 2020 and 2021 PDSA Collaboratives’ mission, goals, and planning information.
Change Package
- A change package is a resource that contains: a theory of change, resources and tools for testing practice changes, and ways to measure whether a practice change led to an improvement.
- Click below to read the PDSA Collaborative on Quality Caseworker Visits Change Package.
PDSA Collaborative on Quality Visits: Project Reports
Successful PDSA Changes
At the end of the collaborative, PDSA teams documented their successful changes and provided tools for other agencies to use to improve the quality of their worker visits.
Participating Agencies
What’s unique about PDSA Collaboratives? How could this benefit you and your agency?
In the PDSA Collaborative, you will:
- Test practice changes in small, manageable steps with a team of co-workers to support you;
- Learn how to use different types of data to support your decision-making;
- Receive training in how to move your team’s best change ideas forward and roll them out to your whole agency; and
- Have the opportunity to collaborate and share learnings with other agency teams.
PDSA Collaboratives are brought to you through partnership between the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families and the Wisconsin Child Welfare Professional Development System.