For those of you who need a more visual enticement to get excited about Just Data January, please watch this campy welcome video – we can’t wait to see you!
Week 1: FTC BP 8, Provision A, Maintain Data Electronically
In January 2023 our focus will be on Best Practice 8, Monitoring and Evaluation.
“Provision A,” of Best Practice 8 is simple: effective courts collect data electronically. And luckily, if your court has started using the performance measures excel spreadsheet, this means you are meeting that best practice provision! You can learn a little more about why those measures were chosen on this OJJDP pdf. If you’d like to step up your method with technology to help build staffing reports and better confidential data collection, and contact between teams, you may also consider a case management system. The two Case Management Systems most used and well known by specialty courts in WA are:
- Connexis Case, developed by Integrated Management Systems. Their website has some short tutorials and plenty of information available.
- DCCM (Drug Court Case Management) by ACT Innovations. Their website doesn’t have quite as many cool videos, but it does have excellent information about their services. Their brochure can be downloaded here as well.
Week 2: BP 8 Provision B, Engage in a Process of Continuous Quality Improvement
Week 2, we’ll dive a little further into one way that the best practice standards suggest you might do this, a process called Rapid Cycle Testing. The BP standards specifically recommend the NIATx Plan Do Study Act Framework. Their website has great resources and examples, when you have time to look it over!
I’ve tried to simplify that framework in the week two video I put on our YouTube channel. It is only six minutes and should give you a nice overview of the framework and an example of how you can collect data, and document whether a change is working, in an evidence-based and simple way. Here is a pdf of the slides from that video. If you have questions or want to talk further, my (virtual) door is always open!
Week 3: BP 8 Provision C, Evaluate Adherence to Best Practice
Week 3: moves us back to the FTC Best Practices, and some guidance for how to evaluate how your court’s policies, procedures, and norms adhere to the recommendations of the Best Practice Standards.
Here is a 10 Minute YouTube Video I made about one way you might take on this provision (consider subscribing to that page so you don’t miss new content!
Here are the links I included in the week 3 video:
NPC Research National Evaluation of Family Treatment Courts (NEFTC)
Copy of the peer review Family Therapeutic Court Survey
The Website to learn move about Liberating Structures and the 15% Solutions team discussion method I mentioned.
Week 4: BP 8 Provision D, Use Rigorous Evaluation Methods
Unless you are a researcher, rigor can be a bit of a foreign concept. We have put together website summary that you should be able to scan through in 5-8 minutes, with a series of resources, links, and places to go for more information or assistance called Is It Rigorous? Hopefully that helps!
And of course, you can always go to the best practice 8 module or our data resources page to learn more
