Author: Patricia Chamberlain, Lonnie R. Snowden, Courtenay Padgett, Lisa Saldana, Jennifer Roles, Lisa Holmes, Harriet Ward, Jean Soper, John Reid, John Landsverk
Abstract:
In decisions to adopt and implement new practices or innovations in child welfare, costs are often a bottom-line consideration. The cost calculator, a method developed in England that can be used to calculate unit costs of core case work activities and associated administrative costs, is described as a potentially helpful tool for assisting child welfare administrators to evaluate the costs of current practices relative to their outcomes and could impact decisions about whether to implement new practices. The process by which the cost calculator is being adapted for use in US child welfare systems in two states is described and an illustration of using the method to compare two intervention approaches is provided.
