A Critical Case for De-Implementation in U.S. Social Services: Abolishing What is Ineffective, What is Inefficient, and What Harms

This paper argues that de-implementation, a process developed from implementation science, is a justice-oriented, evidence-informed, ethically-implicated, and critical next step toward abolishing ineffective and inefficient social services that disproportionately harm racially minoritized and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals, families, and communities. We discuss the definitions and parameters of de-implementation, as well as models, facilitators, and barriers, in the context of social services, as this process has been primarily applied to healthcare settings. Additionally, we provide examples of “candidate” programs, practices, and policies in the juvenile legal system, as a case study to consider implications and priorities for de-implementation. Common roadblocks to de-implementation in social services are captured through a practitioner-scholar lens, and social service scholars are prompted to consider de-implementation research as an opportunity and responsibility.