Calculating the Costs of Child Welfare Services Workgroup.2014-03-172014-03-172013Calculating the Costs of Child Welfare Services Workgroup. (2013). Cost analysis in program evaluation: A guide for child welfare researchers and service providers. Washington, DC: Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/cost_analysis_guide.pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/1313This guide, developed by a group of experts assembled by the Children’s Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides support for child welfare service providers and evaluators interested in conducting cost analyses, especially as part of broader evaluations of child welfare services. The guide begins by offering a framework for integrating cost analysis into program evaluations, which supports successful implementation of cost analysis and produces a fuller understanding of the programs or services studied. Next, the guide presents key principles and concepts in cost analysis. It then provides guidance for defining the scope and purpose of a cost analysis and determining the information needed to conduct it. Finally, it explains core steps in conducting a cost analysis and describes the advantages and disadvantages of specific methods for collecting and analyzing cost data.en-USprogram evaluationchild welfarebuilding capacityresearchArticle