About this course

Learning Objectives

• Describe the role of meaningful data in advancing youth-centered, family-driven, and trauma-responsive residential services.
• Identify multiple sources of organizational data—including youth voice, family feedback, workforce information, operational metrics, and clinical outcomes—that can guide practice improvement.
• Apply a continuous quality improvement framework that uses data to identify strengths, recognize emerging challenges, test improvement strategies, and evaluate progress over time.
• Explain how youth and family feedback can be intentionally integrated into organizational decision-making and service improvement efforts.
• Recognize leadership practices that foster a culture of learning, transparency, curiosity, and continuous improvement rather than compliance.
• Develop strategies for using data to strengthen workforce engagement, improve treatment quality, support permanency, and enhance organizational outcomes.
• Identify practical next steps for incorporating data-informed decision making into their own Quality Improvement Collaborative implementation plans.

Learning Levels

• Beginner

Target Audience

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Mark Nickell

  Director of Strategic Initiatives, ACRC

  Mark Nickell, MDiv, serves as the Director of Strategic Initiatives at The Association of Children’s Residential and Community Services (ACRC). Prior to this role, he was the Executive Director of the Building Bridges Initiative, Inc. for four years, leading up to its successful merger with ACRC.

  Mark has an extensive background in the field, having spent over 16 years in California as a Regional Executive Director with Seneca Family of Agencies. During his tenure, he focused on developing and delivering continuums of care within the Bay Area. Mark is a certified Wraparound trainer for the California Department of Social Services and has conducted national training sessions with BBI on topics such as organizational transformation, family engagement, youth-guided care, and data-driven practice. His expertise particularly emphasizes enhancing residential interventions to improve outcomes for youth and their families.

• 

  Joe Ford, MA

  Lead Consultant, ACRC

  Joe Ford has dedicated more than 40 years to serving children, youth, and families involved in the child welfare and behavioral health systems. He began his career with Pacific Clinics as a Crisis Management Specialist before spending 17 years at Five Acres, where he held numerous leadership roles in residential treatment, crisis intervention, wraparound services, therapeutic behavioral services, aftercare, domestic violence programming, and multidisciplinary assessment teams.

  In 2012, Joe joined Sycamores as Vice President, providing executive leadership for Residentially Based Services, Residential Treatment Centers, Foster Family Agency programs, Nonpublic Schools, and Clinical Services. Throughout his career, he has championed trauma-informed, relationship-based care while strengthening services for youth and families.

  Today, Joe partners with the Association of Children's Residential & Community Services (ACRC) and Acadia Healthcare Management to support behavioral health organizations across the country, sharing his expertise to strengthen residential and community-based services and advance quality care for children, youth, and families.

• 

  Kyle Reece

  Youth Training Coordinator, UNC Greensboro

  Kyle Reece was diagnosed with Autism at age 13, and spent his adolescent years transitioning through various residential placements. Kyle got involved with various youth-serving mental health organizations in his hometown of Durham, North Carolina. After serving as president of multiple youth advocacy organizations, including Youth M.O.V.E North Carolina, he transitioned into his current role as Youth Training Coordinator at a UNCG. In this role, he provides technical assistance and training to youth-serving organizations, community collaboratives, and residential placements across the United States, fueled by his passion for advocacy and support.

Disclosure

References

• Portwood, S. G., Boyd, A. S., & Barber, K. S. (2022). A Data-informed Model for Building Research Capacity in Out-of-home Care and Treatment Settings for Children and Youth. Residential Treatment For Children & Youth, 39(2), 116–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2020.1781021
• Edelsohn, G. A., Herschell, A. D., Walker, M. L., & Schake, P. L. (2025). Using a Learning Collaborative Model to Improve Youth Psychiatric Residential Treatment. Residential Treatment For Children & Youth, 42(1), 99–123. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2024.2319750
• Fernández-Sánchez, J., Salas, M. D., García-Martín, M. A., & de las Olas Palma-García, M. (2025). Perceptions of Young People in Residential Care Regarding Quality of Care, the Affective Relationship with Care Workers, and the Style of Discipline Used. Residential Treatment For Children & Youth, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2025.2546883