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A Critical Appraisal of Issues in Differential Response: Moving the Field Forward

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Research on Social Work Practice

Published online on

Abstract

This reaction article highlights areas of agreement and disagreement with the study conducted by Hughes, Rycus, Saunders-Adams, Hughes, and Hughes on the current state of research and practice in differential response (DR). Overall, we agree with several of the arguments put forth by Hughes et al. regarding the limitations of DR research and the lack of a consistently defined and implemented DR practice model. These areas of agreement offer common ground on which to work together to move the field forward. However, we have concerns about the methodological rigor of the Hughes et al. study and questions about some of their findings and conclusions. We draw upon our current evaluation of a five-county DR research and demonstration project in Colorado to provide recommendations for enhancing the design and implementation of research on DR.