Report on the Implementation and Evaluation of an Interprofessional Learning Programme for Inter-Agency Child Protection Teams

• NCJ Number: 227456
• Journal: Child Abuse Review Volume: 18 Issue: 3 Dated: May-June 2009 Pages: 151-167
• Author(s): Alison Watkin; Susanne Lindqvist; Jane Black; Fiona Watts
• Date Published: June 2009
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This article reports on an interprofessional learning (IPL) program that was implemented in order to assess whether such an intervention could address some of the barriers to effective work by interprofessional and interagency child protection teams.

Abstract

Findings show statistically significant changes in five out of six categories examined. The IPL program improved participants' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the various professional roles within the interagency team. It also assisted in developing interprofessional team working skills by encouraging team members to achieve set goals for facilitating their collaborative working. Themes that emerged in the reflective statements of participants, such as clarification of the team/agency's function and improvements in working relationships, suggest that the program was effective in its overall aim of improving knowledge and understanding of the various professional roles and agencies working to protect children. The IPL program consisted of one preprogram meeting between individual participants and the facilitator and five 2-hour meetings in which the facilitator met with the whole team. The preprogram meeting ensured that all participants had the same knowledge about the program's aims and methods of evaluation. The first four team meetings were held monthly, and team members were supported by the facilitator. After these meetings, there was a 4-month break in the contact with the facilitator. This enabled an assessment of the team's performance without external facilitation. The fifth and final followup meeting with the facilitator occurred after this gap. Participants who had attended three out of the five meetings, and who also submitted a two-page reflective summary, received a certificate as evidence of continuing professional development. Each participant completed the prevalidated team-climate inventory, which provided quantitative data related to changes in team performance over the course of the 8 months of the program. 3 tables and 51 references