Applying Implementation Drivers to Child Welfare Systems Change: Examples From the Field

Implementation science is a relatively young field of research that studies efforts to put improved policies or programs into routine practice. In recent years, the Children's Bureau has placed increasing emphasis on implementation of child welfare system reforms to promote improved outcomes for children, youth, and families. Using an implementation framework from the National Implementation Research Network, this article reviews the relevance of core drivers to child welfare and describes selected examples to illustrate how public agencies can apply and adapt concepts from implementation science to drive and sustain their system reforms.