Social
Research
Institute
Supporting Communities
Through Data-Driven
Research
Partnering with agencies and organizations to improve programs, strengthen services, and enhance outcomes for children, families, and communities.
The Social Research Institute (SRI) is a multidisciplinary research, evaluation, and implementation institute within the University of Utah College of Social Work. For more than two decades, SRI has partnered with public agencies, community organizations, foundations, and universities to strengthen programs, improve services, and enhance outcomes for children, families, and communities.
Our team combines expertise in research and evaluation, implementation science, data analytics, workforce development, and training to help organizations make informed decisions and demonstrate impact. From program planning and evidence-building to implementation support and predictive analytics, SRI works alongside partners to translate data and research into practical solutions that strengthen systems and improve lives.
Featured Research
GRANDfamilies Kinship Navigation Evaluation Report
Evaluation of Utah's GRANDfamilies program found that kinship navigator services reduced the likelihood of child removal by 94% among DCFS-involved families.
Utah Hearing Quality Improvement Evaluation Report
Research of Utah's child welfare courts found that structured judicial practices improved hearing quality, reduced child welfare case lengths, and helped children achieve reunification more quickly.
Strengthening Utah Families Project: A Community Needs Assessment Report Summary
Statewide needs assessment of more than 429,000 children and families identified priority needs and evidence-informed strategies to strengthen child maltreatment prevention across Utah.
Featured Publications
Journal of Technology in Human Services
Virtual simulation training demonstrated comparable outcomes to traditional role-play methods while increasing learner confidence and expanding access to high-quality workforce training.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Using artificial intelligence and natural language processing, researchers successfully identified suicide risk within text-based crisis counseling conversations, demonstrating the potential of AI to enhance crisis response and suicide prevention efforts.
Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare
Researchers found that childhood trauma was strongly linked to health and behavioral health challenges among TANF participants, highlighting the need for trauma-informed employment and support services.
For more than two decades, SRI has partnered with agencies and organizations to generate evidence, improve programs, and strengthen outcomes. Browse our portfolio of projects, research and evaluation reports, and 130+ publications below to learn how our work is informing policy, practice, and service delivery across human service systems.
| reports | publications | projects |
Explore VSWT
Virtual Skills & Workforce Trainer
Areas of Focus
Our work is built on strong, enduring partnerships. SRI collaborates with state and local agencies, community-based organizations, universities, and national partners to design, evaluate, and improve programs that strengthen communities. Many of these relationships have been cultivated over years of trusted collaboration, allowing us to serve not only as researchers and evaluators, but as strategic thought partners.
SRI works across a broad range of human service systems, including:
- Child and social welfare services
- Workforce development and training
- TANF and public assistance programs
- Kinship navigation services
- Court improvement initiatives
- Behavioral health and suicide prevention
- Substance use recovery and prevention
- Medicaid and health outcomes
- Housing and community-based services
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Visit UCJC
Utah Criminal Justice Center
A collaborative partnership between the University of Utah and the
Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice.
Our Team
SRIs success is driven by a multidisciplinary team of faculty, researchers, evaluators, statisticians, implementation specialists, and workforce development experts. Together, we bring the expertise needed to help organizations generate evidence, improve services, and create meaningful impact.
meet the team
