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Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Attachment‐based Family Therapy into a Child Welfare Setting: A Qualitative Process Evaluation
Author(s) -
Santens Tara,
Hannes Karin,
Levy Suzanne,
Diamond Guy,
Bosmans Guy
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/famp.12504
Subject(s) - referral , qualitative research , nursing , implementation research , accountability , welfare , psychology , medicine , medical education , psychological intervention , political science , sociology , social science , law
Child welfare systems ( CWS s) worldwide show increased interest in adopting empirically informed clinical strategies to increase treatment effectiveness. Many empirically supported treatments ( EST s) exist, but little is known about EST implementation barriers and facilitators in CWS . This study explored CWS providers’ experiences of implementing attachment‐based family therapy ( ABFT ) in home‐based services of the Flemish CWS (in Belgium). Sixteen CWS providers (twelve counselors and four supervisors) involved in three home‐based services were interviewed. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research ( CFIR ) was used to guide collection, coding, and analysis of interview data. Findings revealed that implementation success was related to ABFT 's fit with the CWS 's mission, philosophy, and existing practices. CWS providers’ belief in the compatibility between ABFT and CWS increased investment in implementation efforts and persistence to overcome challenges and setbacks. Some barriers pertained to the learning of ABFT and some barriers pertained to systems level challenges such as lack of leadership and support, poor coordination with referral sources and other youth care partners, and lack of policy support. For successful expansion of EST s into CWS settings, various barriers at multiple systemic levels need to be addressed .