Establishing an Evidence-Based Practice Clearinghouse in China

Li You-ping of the West China Hospital at Sichuan University discusses her collaboration with the USC School of Social Work.

Li You-ping, Ph.D., director of the Chinese Cochrane Centre and Chinese Evidence-Based Medicine Centre at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, will share her experiences working with the USC School of Social Work to establish the first online clearinghouse for human services professionals and policymakers in China seeking easy access to culturally relevant social work practices.

The Chinese Clearinghouse for Evidence-Based Practice and Policy (CCE) was created to house information about the latest evidence-based interventions in social work from around the world, for a rapidly globalizing society beginning to look outward for solutions to modern mental health problems. Its mission is to provide human services professionals, community organizations and policymakers with the latest empirical evidence on social work practices that are most likely to succeed within Chinese society.

Gaining popularity within the United States, clearinghouses are Web-based portals where quality-controlled scientific evidence of what works — or is possibly harmful — in professional practice and policy interventions is made available to professionals, decision-makers and the general public, in accessible, transparent language and format.

The CCE strives to prepare professionals and decision-makers in the field of child welfare and social work practice to meet the needs of service users and make best use of available resources. As the clearinghouse advances its activities, it will expand to other fields of social work.

In the pursuit of its mission, the clearinghouse is committed to working closely with professionals, decision-makers and community organization representatives in China, as well as with leading international organizations and networks.