Use of the system-of-care practice review in the national evaluation: Evaluating the fidelity of practice to system-of-care principles

Evaluating the fidelity of service practices to system-of-care principles ( SOC) represents a challenge in the human service field. The inadequate infu sion of SOC principles into direct services could limit the usefulness of t his approach. In this study we compare practice-level variables between wel l-developed SOC and traditional service systems and test the hypothesis tha t the adoption of SOC principles at the organizational level was associated with greater implementation of SOC at the practice level. Sites implementi ng SOC for at least 5 years are compared to sites providing mental health s ervices using a traditional service delivery model. The study administered the SOC practice Review (SOCPR) protocol. The SOCPR represents a case study approach that employs interviews and document reviews to arrive at ratings of SOC principles. This methodology proved to be an effective tool in inte rpreting the meaning of child and family experiences that emerged from the SOC. The findings were generally significant and support the hypothesis. Ov erall, SOC sires scored significantly higher (p < .05) than non-SOC sites i n the child-centered and family-focused, community-based, acid cultural com petence domains. The implication is that SOC principles can be tested at th e level of practice.