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Front Cover -- Copyright -- Table of Contents -- Chapter 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Chapter 5 -- Chapter 6 -- Chapter 7 -- Chapter 8 -- Chapter 9 -- Chapter 10 -- Chapter 11 -- Chapter 12 -- Chapter 13 -- Chapter 14 -- Chapter 15 -- Chapter 16 -- Back Cover.

Practice and Research Together (PART) is an Ontario-based research utilization initiative, the core function of which is to distil and disseminate practice-relevant research findings to child welfare practitioners. This article addresses (a) the mission and goals of the PART program; (b) the key components of the program design; (c) the conceptual foundations of evidence-informed practice (EIP) as it relates to the program; (d) the successes and challenges of implementation to date; (e) the results of a comprehensive evaluation; and (f) areas for future research and development. Key findings of the formative evaluation include Link PARTners (LPs—organizational representatives) feeling isolated in their role in promoting organizational change; front-line practitioners reporting that they have little time or resources to use the program materials; supervisors stating that they support the concept of EIP but lack the skills and abilities to move these ideas forward; and executive directors are requesting more evidence to promote organizational and systemic change.

This intent of this article is to describe a unique, Canadian-based research utilisation programme called PART (Practice and Research Together: www.partontario.org/). This innovative programme seeks to create linkages between research and practice in child welfare by promoting organisational and systemic change that increases research utilisation as a vital component in the everyday work of child welfare practitioners. The article provides an overview of the importance of knowledge utilisation initiatives in child welfare, situates the PART programme within the context of evidence-based and evidence-informed practice, provides an overview of the barriers and challenges of implementing such a programme, and provides a vision for the future of knowledge utilisation in child welfare practice.