Definitions

This Strategic Plan contains specialized language utilized by the Institute. Please review this formal definition list to clearly understand these concepts as defined by the Institute.

Thriving Workforce

A thriving child welfare workforce is one that positively impacts outcomes for children and families and shows evidence of overall job/career satisfaction and effective inter-organizational partnerships led by experienced, collaborative, and competent leaders.

Learning Organization

A learning organization facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself. Elements include the ability to see the big picture, a commitment to lifelong learning, openness, shared visions, and team learning.

Implementation Science

Implementation science strives to understand the critical factors and conditions that ensure effective practices are successfully carried out and sustained in typical service settings, whether that practice is just being developed or has already built substantial evidence. At the Institute, it focuses on the balance, importance, and ongoing relationship between research and practice.

Translational Research

Translational research promotes the application of findings into meaningful policies and practices. In these efforts, we encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers and practitioners and the inclusion of lived voice to derive the greatest benefits for whom the policies and practices affect.

Environmental Justice

Environmental justice is the right to a safe, healthy, productive, and sustainable environment for all, where “environment” is considered in its totality to include the ecological (biological), physical (natural and built), social, political, aesthetic, and economic environments.

Disability

A disability is the result of interactions between persons with impairments, conditions, or illnesses and the environmental and attitudinal barriers they face. Such impairments, conditions, or illnesses may be permanent, temporary, intermittent, or imputed, and include those that are physical, sensory, psychosocial, neurological, medical, or intellectual. The Institute views an individual’s disability and divergence as an asset, in that persons with disabilities frequently need to use innovative problem-solving techniques, discover efficient communication methods, and exhibit resilience to do what people without disabilities can do with ease.