FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions related to:

1) The CEBC Website

    a) I want to use information from the CEBC website, how do I provide correct attribution?

      Information presented on the CEBC website is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. When using information obtained from the CEBC, we ask that you please use the following acknowledgement:

        Material/Image/Information obtained from the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC) at www.cebc4cw.org.

    b) I am looking for a definition of a word on your website, where can I find it?

      Terms that are in blue and underlined with a dotted line can easily have their definitions displayed by clicking on the word. A complete glossary of these terms can be found here.

2) The CEBC Program Registry

    a) What is the "scope" of the CEBC Program Registry?

      The CEBC reviews existing programs in the areas selected by the Advisory Committee and examines the research evidence for programs and interventions that can be used by professionals who interact with children and families in the child welfare system. The CEBC does not examine the issues that these practices address. For instance, we do not examine the effects of abuse on children, but we do look at programs that can be used to treat trauma in children. The CEBC also does not endorse any of the programs on the website, the purpose of the CEBC is to list and rate programs for informational purposes.

    Programs and Topic Areas on the Website

    b) I am interested in seeing a review of a program in a topic area that is currently or will soon be featured on the CEBC website — how do I nominate the program for inclusion?

      The CEBC is currently accepting the submission of programs for review. The CEBC will only accept submissions made by 11:59PM PT on September 6, 2019.

      Program information must be submitted directly by the developer or a representative appointed by the program developer or administrator. If you are not affiliated with the program, please contact the program directly and provide them with the link to this webpage so that they can submit their program.

      Due to the high demand for programs to be added to the CEBC Programs Registry, the CEBC will only review programs that have at least one randomized control trial conducted on the outcomes of the program that has been published in a peer-reviewed journal (acceptance of the paper by the journal is allowed, with proof of acceptance/in press status). All required information must be completed by the deadline for a program to be considered.

      Please note that all required information will need to be completed by the deadline for a program to be considered. This will include all of the following:

      • Completing the entire program questionnaire
      • Submitting copies of all published, peer-reviewed research articles that are cited in the relevant research section of the questionnaire (which should include articles on all research study types)
        • We will only review programs in which electronic copies of all articles are submitted. Please do not refer to a bibliography on a website.

        Please note that submission of the program and all necessary materials to the CEBC for review does not guarantee the program will be added. Final decision on whether to add any program is made by CEBC staff.

        To receive the blank questionnaire and more detailed instructions, please click on the following link: [http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1680683/CEBC-Open-Window-Submission-Information]

        Submission of the program and all necessary materials to the CEBC for review does not guarantee the program will be added. The CEBC will add programs based on the research submitted and topic area in which the program belongs.

    c) How can I make a suggestion for a new topic area for the CEBC?

      The CEBC's statewide Advisory Committee selects all topic areas. The CEBC appreciates your input on possible topic areas to explore, please use the Contact CEBC form to submit a suggestion. The Advisory Committee will review all suggestions.

    d) How are programs selected to be included on the website?

    e) There is not currently information on the CEBC website about a specific program or topic in which I am interested, what other resources on Evidence-Based Practices can you refer me to?

      Please click here for a list of resources.

    f) What happened to the Child Welfare Relevance Rating that used to be displayed on the Rating Scales page?

      Due to feedback from CEBC users, the CEBC converted the Child Welfare Relevance Rating to a Child Welfare System Relevance Level. With this modification, even if a program is not able to be rated on CEBC Scientific Rating Scale, it has now been assigned a Child Welfare System Relevance Level by the CEBC staff. This allows you to see if the program specifically targets child welfare populations (High), populations similar to those found in child welfare (Medium), or populations not similar to those found in child welfare (Low) whether or not the program has outcomes from comparison studies published in a peer-reviewed journal. This also makes it so that only the CEBC Scientific Rating Scales has numbers attached to it. More information on the levels can be found here.

    The Scientific Rating and Research Review Process

    g) How are programs rated?

      The programs are rated on the CEBC website using the Scientific Rating Scale.

      Provisional Rating: After the programs have been reviewed and rated in a particular topic area, a provisional rating will be provided for 60 days. If you would like to provide feedback for any of the identified programs, you can use the Contact CEBC form.

    h) Why does the CEBC only look at published, peer-reviewed research when evaluating a program?

      Please click here to see the CEBC’s page on Published, Peer-Reviewed Research.

    i) Why do you have programs listed on the website that are Not able to be Rated (NR) on the CEBC Scientific Rating Scale?

      Though the field of child welfare has become increasingly focused on the importance of evidence-based practice to improve services for children and families, the research in this area is still emerging. The rationale for highlighting practices both with and without research is to effectively provide straightforward, unbiased, and reliable information about the level of research evidence currently existing for practices relevant to child welfare. CEBC users are then able to clearly see the level of research evidence for programs that are commonly in use or being marketed in their communities.

    j) Can the scientific rating of a program be changed?

      Yes, the CEBC staff annually contacts all of the program representatives of programs currently on the site to ask for updated contact information as well as any updates on research that has been published. In addition, the CEBC staff periodically reviews programs that are rated on the CEBC Scientific Rating Scale (i.e., have a rating of a 1-5) to see if new research has been published. CEBC staff also requests that the CEBC Scientific Panel, Topic Experts, and Advisory Committee alert them to any new research on the existing programs that may come to their attention. CEBC website users can also provide information on new research through the Contact CEBC form. All new peer-reviewed, published literature is reviewed.

    k) How often do you re-review the research on the programs that are listed on the CEBC?

      For all programs that are currently able to be rated on the CEBC Scientific Rating Scale (i.e., have a rating of a 1-5), the CEBC staff conducts comprehensive literature reviews to look for new research at least once every two years. As of 2014, a new policy for programs that are Not able to be Rated (NR) was added. These programs are contacted annually to inquire about new research; however, a literature reviews is not conducted unless new research is brought to the staff's attention or the relevant topic area is under re-review. The CEBC staff also encourages the website users to inform them of any new research that they are aware of using the Contact CEBC form.

      The most recent date that the research evidence for that particular program was reviewed, as well as the original date, is listed at the bottom of the brief and detailed report for that program. For instance:

        Date Reviewed: May 2014 (originally reviewed in May 2006)

      For information on the re-rating process, please see the CEBC Review Process page and click on “How is a Program Re-Rated?” from the list.

3) Evidence-Based Practice

    a) What is Practice-Based Evidence and how is it different from Evidence-Based Practice?

      Please click here to access the downloadable CEBC commentary on Practice-Based Evidence and how it is different from Evidence-Based Practice.

    b) What is the common elements approach and what is the evidence base for it?

      Please click here to access the “CEBC Perspective on the Common Elements Approach” page.