t you want to use in a PDSA cycle). You have begun to fill out the PDSA form. Now your team should move to answering the third question for applying the PDSA model (bolded below). The answer to this question will be entered into the ‘Plan Step 2’ box on the PDSA Form.
1. What is our goal (i.e. what are we trying to accomplish)?
2. What change can we make that will result in improvement?
3. How will we know the change is an improvement?
The following sections on “Selecting and Developing Measures” and “Surveys” provide resources to assist your team in determining if the change you implemented is an improvement.
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Selecting and Developing Measures
In child welfare, we want to engage in evidence-based practice. Measurement is the cornerstone of evidence-based practice. Child welfare practitioners want to deliver high-quality, effective service to clients. Child welfare supervisors and managers may need to use data to report on child welfare practice outcomes to their management, county boards, grantee agencies, and governmental agencies. Built into the PDSA model is a plan to measure change. Through repeated practice using the PDSA model, you build a learning culture where asking questions and answering them using data becomes standard practice.
The guide below contains information on different methods for measuring change and guidance on choosing measures. In consultation with your team, decide what measures will be tracked and enter them into ‘Plan Step 2’ on your PDSA Form.
Surveys
A common method for gathering information about child welfare practice is to survey clients, staff, and/or other stakeholders. The first guide below provides an overview of factors to consider when designing a survey. The second guide offers tips for writing survey questions and examples of many different survey question types.
Run Charts
Run charts are a means of collecting and presenting data over time to determine potential changes in practice. Run charts have many benefits including visually depicting how a current process is performing, identifying process variation, and measuring and communicating improvements as your team implements changes. You may want to use a run chart if your team can identify a simple, trackable data point that measures progress toward your team goal(s) and that data is not already gathered in an existing data system.
To learn more about run charts and how to develop them, please visit the Minnesota Department of Health – Public Health and QI Toolbox.
Run chart example: All direct practice staff involved in the 2022 & 2023 PDSA Collaboratives on Identifying and Engaging Non-custodial Parents were asked to track run chart data about their caseload’s involvement with non-custodial parents (NCP) as this data was not otherwise available in existing data systems. This data tracking was also helpful as a means of encouraging accountability in focusing on NCPs in practice.
Each direct service professional with a caseload was given an Excel spreadsheet tracking tool specific to their practice area with which they could track NCP data each month. Direct practice staff were also provided a guide that included definitions of terms, including who is considered an NCP and what constitutes contact with an NCP, as well as guidance on how to fill in the sheet.
Those guides and spreadsheets are provided here for individuals to use if interested as this process was found to be successful in providing NCP insight as well as encouraging accountability for multiple agencies in the collaborative.
CPS Access Reports
CPS Reports Run Chart Spreadsheet
Initial Assessment
Initial Assessment Run Chart Guide
Initial Assessment Run Chart Spreadsheet
Ongoing
Youth Justice
The PDSA Toolkit is brought to you through partnership between the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families and the Wisconsin Child Welfare Professional Development System