Home > Frequently Asked Questions > Frequently Asked Questions: Systemwide

Frequently Asked Questions: Systemwide

• Questions and answers
• General resources
• Frequently requested information

Questions and answers

• What does systemwide mean?
  We use the term "systemwide" to identify and group topics that are relevant across the child welfare continuum. For example, assessment is an activity that is conducted in all child welfare services, including family support, child protection, out-of-home care, and adoption. Workforce and training are universal concerns. All services require adequate funding. The Systemwide section of this website provides information on these topics as well as cultural competence, service array, laws and policies, courts, statistics, and service improvement/system reform.
  
  
• How do you define child welfare?
  No "official" definition of child welfare is universally accepted in the field. However, most would agree child welfare is about ensuring the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and youth. Child Welfare Information Gateway provides information on many aspects of child welfare, including child abuse and neglect prevention, child protection, family support and preservation, out-of-home care, permanency, adoption, and family-centered practice.

(Back to Top)

General resources

• How Does the Child Welfare System Work?
  Also available in Spanish: ¿Cómo funciona el sistema de bienstar de menores?
  
  
• A Family's Guide to the Child Welfare System
  (PDF - 699 KB)
  
  Also available in Spanish: Guía para la familia sobre el sistema de bienestar infantil
  (PDF - 889 KB)
  
  
• Child Welfare for the Twenty-First Century: A Handbook of Practices, Policies, and Programs
  View Abstract
  
  
• Beyond Common Sense: Child Welfare, Child Well-Being, and the Evidence for Policy Reform
  View Abstract
  
  
• Essentials of Child Welfare
  View Abstract
  
  
• Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect
  View Abstract

(Back to Top)

Frequently requested information

• Online Resources for State Child Welfare Law and Policy
  Provides links to websites where State statutes can be accessed, and lists the parts of the code addressing child protection, adoption, and child welfare for each State and territory.
  
  
• Grants.gov
  Allows organizations to find and apply electronically for more than 900 competitive grant programs from 26 Federal grant-making agencies.
  
  
• Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs)
  Overview of the CFSRs, information about the review process, and reports and results from State reviews.
  
  
• Child Welfare Outcomes 2002-2005
  This annual report to Congress analyzes the performance of State child welfare agencies on seven outcomes.
  
  
• Comprehensive Family Assessment Guidelines for Child Welfare
  Components of comprehensive family assessment, its relationship to service planning and provision, and how child welfare agencies can support its use. (PDF - 301 KB)
  
  
• NASW Standards for Social Work Practice in Child Welfare (PDF - 259 KB)
  Standards for child welfare practice, including family preservation and support, out-of-home care, adoption, parenting services, and other fields.
  
  
• Child Welfare Law and Practice: Representing Children, Parents, and State Agencies in Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Cases
  View Abstract
  The nation's top child welfare attorneys explain the role and duties of attorneys in child welfare cases, from initiating court action to reunification or termination and adoption.

(Back to Top)

Updated on February 25, 2009