Abstract
Objective
The aim of this study was to develop a reliable and valid self-evaluation tool for
use by child protection team (CPT) members.
Methods
An online survey was administered to members of 10 CPTs. The survey included the following
3 sections: 1) initial conditions (eg, team composition, resources), 2) enabling conditions
(eg, team effort, strategy), and 3) team effectiveness (eg, team cohesion, meeting
performance standards). Each section contained multiple subscales. Internal consistency
was calculated using Cronbach α. To evaluate construct validity, the subscale scores
of the most advanced teams who qualified as centers of excellence (n = 3) were compared
with the subscale scores of the other teams (n = 7) to determine whether the tool
could distinguish between the two.
Results
Of 116 team members, 83 (72%) completed the survey. The subscales exhibited good internal
consistency (α = .71–.97). The 3 centers of excellence had significantly higher mean
scores than the other 7 CPTs on the following subscales: incentives (in the initial
conditions section, 61.46 vs 38.89; P = .003), effort (in the enabling conditions section, 79.31 vs 67.70; P = .003), and professional growth (in the team effectiveness section, 83.89 vs 80.40;
P = .004).
Conclusions
This novel survey demonstrates satisfactory test characteristics and can be used to
assess CPT performance and identify areas for improvement.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 28, 2011
Accepted:
August 9,
2011
Received:
December 10,
2010
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
