Leveraging continuous quality improvement in technical assistance (TA): a case study of a national TA center supporting child welfare agencies

Journal of Public Child Welfare 2026

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Authors: Christine Leicht, Anna Gross, Blair Daniel, Kimberly Good, Kathleen Wang, McKenna Whitmore, Toni DeWeese, Jessica Abbie Garcia, Katie Campbell
DOI: 10.1080/15548732.2026.2625493
Cited by: 1
References: 13

Abstract

Technical assistance (TA) seeks to influence organizational change and improve system outcomes while continuous quality improvement (CQI) aims to help organizations adopt data-driven improvements. This paper presents a case study of CQI strategies in a national TA center serving public child welfare agencies. Three themes about how CQI can influence TA types and quality emerged: 1) building a proactive and data-focused infrastructure, 2) prioritizing infusion of multiple stakeholder perspectives, and 3) embedding flexibility into services and prioritizing realistic, achievable outcomes. These strategies influenced TA that facilitated changes in agency policy and practice as well as outcomes for children and families.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Health Policy Implementation Science Early Childhood Education and Development Healthcare innovation and challenges

Publication details

Journal / source
Journal of Public Child Welfare
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Volume
20
Issue
5
Pages
1–18
Publication date
14 February 2026
Language
EN