Building Knowledge--Linking Research to Practice in Real World Settings

Research is an integral and ongoing component of the Center. Research questions are formulated within clinical service and policy areas and are guided by the goal of improving life outcomes for vulnerable youth and their families.

The Center pursues a broad research agenda, addressing questions ranging from policy to practice, and spanning the developmental spectrum from human genetics, infancy and early childhood, to adolescence and young adulthood. Topics range from human genetics and effects of drug exposure in utero, to risk and protective factors for healthy psychosocial development in childhood and adolescence to effectiveness of culturally competent service delivery and impact of policies on systems of care for vulnerable youth and youth in transition to adulthood.

A current thrust of the Center's research activities focuses on service delivery across multiple child serving systems for children with special health and behavioral health care needs, and investigating the impact of public policies on these services and outcomes for children and their families.

The activities of the Center--policy development, technical assistance, training, and clinical and community services-- are grounded in a solid research base and are continually informed, improved, and sustained by ongoing research and evaluation.

Goals

The goal of the research agenda in the Center for Child and Human Development is to further the Center's mission by:

• Generating new knowledge
• Linking research to practice and policy in real world settings
• Building networks of research collaborations within Georgetown University and with other academic and research centers

Guiding Principles

Research in the Center is guided by the following principles:

• The research is field-driven toward the purpose of advancing practical, applied knowledge and promising practices;
• The research is contextually-based such that issues are examined in an ecologically valid context;
• Key stakeholders are involved in the formulation, design and implementation of the research;
• The research is culturally competent, incorporating the perspectives of culturally diverse groups at all stages of the research process.

Research Projects

• National Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Children with Disabilities with Special Health Care Needs
• Health and Behavioral Health Systems and Policy Research
• Human Genetics
• Developmental Risk Factors and Vulnerable Children
• Evaluation and Accountability

Links

• Family Voices
• Institute for Child Health Policy
• The Heller School at Brandeis University

• Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health, Department of Child and Family Studies, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. Publishes Data Trends--dissemination of current research findings in the area of children's mental health services.
• Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health , Portland State University, Portland, Oregon. Publishes Data Trends, a series of one-page briefs addressing current themes, summarizing recent articles, or presenting new developments in the field of children's mental health.

Recent publications

• Building Systems of Care: A Primer
• Assistive Technology for Children with Disabilities and Special Health Care Needs: Introducing the Consortium’s Annotated Bibliography of Audiovisual Resources (Consortium Brief 12)
• Secondary Health Coverage For Children With Special Health Care Needs: A Fact Sheet For Families (Consumer Brief 2)
• Systems of Care: Promising Practices in Children's Mental Health, 2000 Series, Volume II: Using Evaluation Data to Manage, Improve, Market, and Sustain Children's Services