NEWS & PUBLICATIONS
The CEBC now includes both versions of QSA.
Quality Standards Assessment – Youth Version (QSA-Y) https://www.cebc4cw.org/measurement-tools/quality-standards-assessment-youth-version/
Quality Standards Assessment – Child Care Professional Version (QSA-CCP)
https://www.cebc4cw.org/measurement-tools/quality-standards-assessment-child-care-professional-version/
AUG 10, 2026
Quality Standards Assessment (QSA) has been added to the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC)
After more than a decade of development and research, the Quality Standards Assessment (QSA) has been added to the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), one of the nation's leading evidence-based practice registries in child welfare and related fields. The QSA-CCP and QSA-Y received the CEBC's highest Measurement Tools rating, "A – Psychometrics Well-Demonstrated," reflecting strong published evidence supporting the tool's reliability and validity.
The QSA was originally developed with support from the Florida Institute for Child Welfare (FICW) and the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) to advance quality, accountability, and outcomes for children and youth in residential care. Over the years, the assessment has evolved through extensive collaboration with youth, practitioners, providers, researchers, and system partners. Today, the QSA is recognized as a research-informed tool for assessing and improving the quality of residential care services and supporting continuous quality improvement efforts.
Apr 22, 2026
Advanced Certification Trainings for Child Welfare Professionals: Results from the Formative Evaluation of STARS Reference: CHIPRO_100317
Shamra Boel-Studt | Vivian Mills | Esaa Mohammad Sabti Samarah | Lauren Herod | Darejan Dvalishvili
- Addresses gaps in trauma-informed training for child welfare professionals
- Describes a formative evaluation of the STARS advanced certification pilot
- Identifies four phases: discovery, development, implementation, and evaluation
- Emphasizes flexible, research-informed, and learner-centered training design
- Offers a replicable model to support child welfare workforce development
Feb 13, 2025
Validity of the Quality Standards Assessment
for Children’s Residential Care
Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, by Shamra Boel-Studt, Jonathan C. Huefnern & Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett
Until recently, there were no validated measures of quality practice standards for youth residential programs, thus leaving a gap in the understanding of how residential programs are performing and ways to improve practice. The aim of this research was to test the validity of the Quality Standards Assessment (QSA) for youth residential programs and present evidence in a way that is accessible to practitioners and applicable to daily practice.
Jan 24, 2025
How Some Christian Group Homes Avoid Florida’s Standards
New York Times, by Laura C. Morel
Laura C. Morel is examining maternity homes and other social services in Florida as a part of The Times’s Local Investigations Fellowship. In place of the state, a nonprofit association has regulatory authority over about two dozen of the facilities.
Nov 2, 2024
“We Do the Best We Can with What We Have” – Reflections from Residential Care Stakeholders on the Impacts of COVID-19
Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, by Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett, Shamra Boel-Studt & Christopher Collins
COVID-19 mandates required residential youth care providers to quickly adapt services while adhering to state and local mandates, impacting family visitation, stress, and potential disruption to reunification efforts. This mixed-methods study utilized data from a larger study of residential group homes in one southeastern state, utilizing he Quality Standards Assessment (QSA).
Sept 24, 2024
These Maternity Homes Offer Sanctuary, but It Can Feel Oppressive
New York Times, by Laura C. Morel
Unregulated homes are proliferating amid abortion restrictions and a housing crunch. Some limit residents’ movements, contacts and day-to-day decisions.
Jun 11, 2024
2024–2026 IRP Extramural Large Grants
Institute for Research on Poverty - UW-Madison (wisc.edu)
The 2024 extramural research funding program supports research on using the Child and Caregiver Outcomes Using Linked Data (CCOULD) dataset and focusing on policy implications for child welfare and Medicaid services administered by HHS.
Nov 8, 2023
“Taking it day by day”: Maternity group homes in the lives of mothers aging out of foster care
Melissa Radey, Shamra Boel-Studt, Christopher J. Collins | Children and Youth Services Review
Jul 10, 2023
Reflections on care experiences among early, middle, and late adolescents in residential care
Boel-Studt, S., & Dowdy-Hazlett, T. | Developmental Child Welfare
Jul 3, 2023
A mixed-methods evaluative study of the Life Model of residential care for trauma-affected children and youth
Boel-Studt, S. M., Deichen Hansen, M., & Dowdy-Hazlett, T. | Journal of Public Child Welfare
Jul 3, 2023
“I hope my voice is heard.” A mixed-methods study of youths′ perceptions of residential care
Boel-Studt, S. M., Huang, H., & Collins, C. | Children and Youth Services Review
Mar 1, 2023
FSU announces new institute to promote quality out-of-home care for children
Shamra Boel-Studt, associate professor in FSU's College of Social Work will serve as the new institute's director. Jonathan Huefner, Research Scientist, Boys Town National Research Hospital will serve as its co-director.