National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care Resources

The Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center (the Center) provides programmatic and evaluation technical assistance to recipients of cooperative agreements from the Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care demonstration initiative. This program is funded through the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Center's goal is to support grantees' efforts to design and build systems of care that will improve safety, permanency, and well-being for families and children.

The Center is continually developing resources that will support the grantees' efforts to improve outcomes for children and families. Through its evaluation efforts, the Center also produces information on this initiative's effectiveness. Please check back frequently for additional resources on systems of care.

• Family Engagement Videos
• Policy Action Guide
• Evaluation Reports
• Toolkits
• Action Briefs
• Webinars
• A Closer Look
• Other Resources

Family Engagement Videos

Family Engagement Videos
Designed to help child welfare agencies build capacity for implementing meaningful family involvement in programs and activities.

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Policy Action Guide

Policy Action Guide
Provides guidance about how to identify policy strategies to improve child welfare systems and includes downloadable assessment and planning documents.

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Evaluation Reports

Evaluation Reports
A series of reports documenting the findings from the national cross-site evaluation of the Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care demonstration initiative.

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Toolkits

Systems of Care Infrastructure Toolkits
Provide practical activities, guiding questions, and tips and products from the field for the planning and development of fundamental components that lay the groundwork for implementation.

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Action Briefs

Action Briefs
Brief reports that translate the findings from the national evaluation and lessons learned from the initiative's implementation into concrete action steps.

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Webinars

Using Policy to Initiate Change in the Child Welfare Field (WMV - 67 MB)
September 15, 2011
This webinar covered the various policy options available to those working in child welfare, including systems of care communities, and how to organize for the policy development process. Webinar presenters also introduced the Systems of Care Policy Action Guide, a new online tool that supports the process of identifying and advancing policy strategies to improve child welfare systems and practices.
View Transcript (PDF - 141 KB)
View Q&A (PDF - 95 KB)
View Presentation Slides (PDF - 961 KB)

Developing Effective Communication Strategies to Generate Buy-in for Change (WMV - 80 MB)
June 29, 2011
Webinar presenters highlighted a communication process to generate staff buy-in for a child welfare focused system of care. Presenters shared tools they used to be successful, challenges they had to overcome, key activities that ensured moving the work ahead, and lessons learned from the experience.
View Transcript (PDF - 379 KB)
View Presentation Slides (PDF - 132 KB)

Community Partnerships that Improve Child and Family Outcomes (WMV - 79 MB)
May 18, 2011
Webinar presenters illustrated strategies and approaches implemented by a child welfare agency to move beyond traditional interagency partnerships and remove barriers to authentic and meaningful community involvement in child welfare decision-making. Presenters also discussed the impact of these changes on staff morale, interagency partnerships, and the shifts in public perception of child welfare within the community at-large.
View Transcript (PDF - 220 KB)
View Q&A (PDF - 86 KB)
View Presentation Slides (PDF - 1,089 KB)

Family Involvement: Supporting Kin Caregivers (WMV - 88 MB)
March 10, 2011
This webinar provided an overview of the implementation and outcomes of a Kinship Liaison Program designed to pro-actively engage and support kin-caregivers to increase the permanency of children in the child welfare system. Webinar presenters shared tools they used to implement, support and sustain a kinship engagement program within the child welfare system, as well as provided lessons learned and recommendations for future kinship engagement efforts.
View Transcript (PDF - 124 KB)
View Presentation Slides (PDF - 474 KB)

The Art & Science of 21st Century Strategic Planning (WMV - 74 MB)
January 31, 2011
This webinar highlighted the effective use of strategic planning as the foundation for implementing a child welfare focused system of care. Webinar presenters shared tools they used to be successful, challenges they had to overcome, key activities that ensured moving the work ahead, and lessons learned from the experience.
View Transcript (PDF - 197 KB)
View Presentation Slides (PDF - 720 KB)

Meaningful Family Involvement: Beyond the Case Plan (WMV - 68 MB)
September 22, 2010
This presentation explored the transformative role of family involvement in the Child Welfare Systems of Care initiative. Discussants shared the ways in which the demonstration initiative facilitated the development of parent leadership and the integration of family voices in agency policies, procedures, and practices.
View Transcript (PDF - 193 KB)
View Presentation Slides (PDF - 1.1 MB)

Developing the Infrastructure for a System of Care (WMV - 85 MB)
July 29, 2010
Webinar presenters discussed the process of developing an infrastructure to support the implementation and sustainability of a system of care.
View Transcript (PDF - 119 KB)
View Presentation Slides (PDF - 1.4 MB)

Understanding Systems and Organizational Change (WMV - 110 MB)
June 16, 2010
This webinar highlighted the impact of the Improving Child Welfare Outcomes through Systems of Care initiative on building interagency collaboration among child welfare and other child- and family-serving agencies, and in integrating a system of care principle-guided approach into child welfare agencies’ policies, procedures, and practices. (Please note, the slides will not advance until the 15:07 mark)
View Transcript (PDF - 130 KB)
View Presentation Slides (PDF - 1.6 MB)

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A Closer Look

A Closer Look
A series of reports summarizing the work of the nine grant communities.

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Other Resources

Systems of Care National Evaluation Logic Model (PPT - 23 KB)
Describes the grantees' strategic planning of infrastructure and service delivery as well as the cross-site process and outcome evaluation for the initiative.

Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care Grant Cluster—An Overview (PPT - 160 KB)
This PowerPoint presentation from July 2006 provides information on lessons learned from the grantees and from the Center's technical support and evaluation efforts.

Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care: Systems of Care: Guide for Strategic Planning
Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care, Children's Bureau (HHS) (2007)
View Abstract and Document
Provides information and materials on procedures any community can use to support the planning and development process for designing a system of care.

Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care: Building the Infrastructure: A Guide for Communities
Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care, Children's Bureau (HHS) (2007)
View Abstract and Document
Designed for communities developing and implementing systems of care, this guide outlines definitions, goals, activities, personnel, and expected outcomes for the fundamental components of the infrastructure needed to support systems of care.

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