APSAC Task Force Report Report of the APSAC Task Force on Evidence-Based Service Planning Guidelines for Child Welfare Lucy Berliner 1 , Monica M. Fitzgerald 2 , Shannon Dorsey 1 , Mark Chaffin 3 , Steven J. Ondersma 4 , and Charles Wilson 5 Abstract This article presents the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) Task Force report on the evidence- based service planning (EBSP) approach to child welfare services (CWS) plans and recommendations for practice. The focus of the policy report is on formal psychosocial services. CWS plans prescribe services to promote core child welfare objectives and to benefit children and families. The goal of EBSP is to construct service plans based on the general principles of evidence-based practice and prefer services with empirical support for clinical problems or needs associated with the causes or consequences of child abuse and neglect (CAN). EBSP aims to facilitate an overarching service approach that is collaborative, respectful, and includes services that are most likely to lead to outcomes on both family identified and child welfare mission goals. EBSP empha- sizes a focused, assessment-driven, and science-informed approach that both favors plans that are sufficient and avoids overbur- dening families with compulsory services that address problems which are not directly related to the child welfare CAN referral. Keywords service delivery, evidence-based practice, child welfare, child welfare workers, mental health services, professionals This policy report aims to define and provide guidelines for a new service planning perspective in child welfare service (CWS) that we call ‘‘evidence-based service planning’’ (EBSP). CWS plans prescribe a service or set of services designed to meet CWS goals and benefit children and families. The CWS is increasingly embracing the use of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) in service plans (see Landsverk, Garland, Rolls Reutz, & Davis, 2011; http://www.cebc4cw.org/). Simi- lar trends toward EBI are occurring in other behavioral and health fields including medicine, psychology, education, juve- nile justice, and criminal justice. Yet, taking an ‘‘evidence- based practice’’ approach to service planning in any area (e.g., CWS and health) goes beyond simply preferring specific EBIs; it involves viewing service selection and planning through an evidence-based lens, such that principles of EBI (e.g., shorter-term, focused, skills-based, and measurement of outcomes) are incorporated throughout planning. The time is right to apply this framework to the CWS service planning pro- cess to maximize the effectiveness of service plans in terms of the content of the plans, the overarching EBI principles, and acceptability to families. As a professional society concerned with the welfare of mal- treated children and their families, the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) has a direct interest in promoting best evidence policy approaches. A Task Force was formed in order to respond to current challenges in service planning for CWS. The Task Force report provides (a) an over- view of the CWS mandate and mission, and methods for achieving CWS goals, (b) the rationale and principles of EBSP, (c) a case example without and with application of EBSP, (d) specific evidence-based psychosocial services that target the clinical problems and needs associated with increased risk for child abuse and neglect (CAN) or which are the result of CAN, and (e) recommendations for professional practices related to service planning with families in the CWS. The intended audi- ence for the report is CWS professionals and others involved in responding to families in the CWS (e.g., mental health profes- sionals, Court Appointed Special Advocates, court commis- sioners/judges, parent’s lawyers, Child Advocacy Centers). The Task Force report and recommendations were approved 1 University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA 2 University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA 3 Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA 4 Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA 5 San Diego Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, CA, USA Corresponding Author: Monica M. Fitzgerald, University of Colorado, Boulder, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, UCB 483, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. Email: monica.fitzgerald@colorado.edu Child Maltreatment 2015, Vol. 20(1) 6-16 ª The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permission: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1077559514562066 cmx.sagepub.com