Development and Application of a Self-Report Measure for Measuring Change During Simulation Training in Child Protection

A national movement has been developed in the last decade to use simulation training to train child welfare workers. This article reports on a practical measurement method, Daily Experience of Simulation Training (DEST), that the authors have used since 2018 to evaluate every cohort in a week-long statewide simulation training program for new child protection investigators. The DEST measures daily changes in trainees' self-report confidence, solicits feedback on the training team, and offers trainees the opportunity to reflect on their experience. Trainees report substantially increased confidence in 13 child protection skills, provided positive feedback to the training team, and offered a number of suggestions for improvement. We discuss methods for implementing a measurement system like the DEST, even for programs with limited resources. DEST results demonstrated considerable consistency across 27 training cohorts.