Understanding the Costs of Services to Address Trauma in Adults and Children: Data Collection Instruments and Guidance for Cost Analyses of Trauma-Specific Evidence-Based Programs
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Understanding the Costs of Services to Address Trauma in Adults and Children: Data Collection Instruments and Guidance for Cost Analyses of Trauma-Specific Evidence-Based Programs

Published: Oct 30, 2017
Publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau
Health Early Childhood Child Welfare Family Support Research and Evaluation Evaluation Design
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Authors

Andrew Burwick

AnnaMaria McCutcheon

Lareina LaFlair

Jennifer Herard-Tsiagbey

Debra Strong

Key Findings

Key Findings:

  • The “ingredients approach” to cost analysis, also known as micro-costing, informed the structure and content of the data collection instruments. The instruments presented in this report collect data needed to answer questions about the start-up and ongoing costs of implementing trauma-specific EBPs. If data on program participation is available, it can be incorporated into analyses to estimate the average cost per family or child served.
  • The report includes two types of data collection instruments: a cost workbook and a staff survey and time log. The cost workbook (a spreadsheet-based instrument) gathers information on the value of resources used to implement the trauma-specific program. The staff survey and time log collects data on the amount of time staff members typically spend training for and delivering the program, in order to allocate personnel costs appropriately to the trauma-specific EBP.
Regional Partnership Grants (RPGs), administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), support partnerships between child welfare agencies and other social service systems to improve the well-being, permanency, and safety outcomes of children who were in, or at risk of, out-of-home placement because of a parent or caregiver’s substance use disorder. Because RPG grantees work with vulnerable groups who are likely to have experienced trauma—children at risk of or experiencing maltreatment, and adults with substance use disorders—they are encouraged under their grants to adopt and implement programs and services that are trauma-informed. This report presents tools and guidance for analyzing the costs of three evidence-based interventions to address the effects of trauma in children and adults.

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