Publications for caseworkers, adoption professionals, and other child welfare professionals covering research, practices, and policies
30 Bulletins for Professionals
Addressing the Needs of Young Children in Child Welfare: Part C—Early Intervention Services
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2018
Describes the intersection of child welfare and early intervention (EI), provides an overview of the EI process, and outlines the challenges and strategies for implementing EI provisions in Federal law.
Belonging Matters—Helping Youth Explore Permanency
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway (U.S.);AdoptUSKids (Program)
Availability
Year Published
2019
Explores how professionals can help youth in foster care consider the full range of legal and relational permanency options available to them as well as understand the feelings that may underlie a young person’s reluctance to pursue permanency.
Building Partnerships to Support Stable Housing for Child Welfare-Involved Families and Youth
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2019
Outlines affordable housing and homelessness services and how child welfare professionals can collaborate with those systems to help families. Although directed primarily at child welfare professionals, the information in this bulletin also may help housing and homelessness services providers understand the unique needs and concerns of child welfare-involved youth and families and how their programs can help." Grantee spotlight" boxes throughout the document feature examples of programs focused on child welfare and housing collaboration that were funded by the Children's Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Partnerships to Demonstrate the Effectiveness of Supportive Housing for Families in the Child Welfare System (SHF) and Youth At-Risk of Homelessness (YARH) grant clusters.
Child Welfare Practice to Address Racial Disproportionality and Disparity
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2021
Explores the factors that contribute to racial and ethnic disproportionality and disparity in the child welfare system. It also describes strategies that can assist child welfare caseworkers, administrators, program managers, and policymakers with addressing these issues in general and at specific decision-making points along the child welfare service continuum.
Child Welfare Practice With Families Affected by Parental Incarceration
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2021
Provides an overview of the intersection of child welfare and parental incarceration; highlights practices to facilitate parent-child visits during incarceration, include parents in case planning, and work toward reunification; and points to resources to help caseworkers in their practice with these children and families.
Concurrent Planning for Timely Permanence
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2018
Explores concurrent planning research and practice. Examines the role of the courts, how to assess for the probability of family reunification, and caseworker training. Provides State and local examples of concurrent planning practice.
Family Engagement: Partnering With Families to Improve Child Welfare Outcomes
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Disponibilidad
Year Published
2021
Provides an overview of the foundational elements of the family engagement approach, followed by strategies and promising practices for implementing this approach.
Helping Children and Youth Maintain Relationships With Birth Families
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2019
Provides professionals with information to help children, youth, and adoptive families develop and maintain appropriate and evolving connections with their birth families. Children and youth who are adopted need to maintain relationships with their birth families, previous caregivers, or other important connections, and it is vital that their parents support them in doing so. Nurturing these relationships is in the best interests of the child, as ongoing contact with birth family members may minimize or resolve his or her feelings of grief and loss due to separation.
Human Trafficking and Child Welfare: A Guide for Caseworkers
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2017
Due to their potentially unstable living situations, physical distance from friends and family, traumatic experiences, and emotional vulnerability, children involved with child welfare are at risk for being targeted by traffickers who are actively seeking victims to exploit. This bulletin explores how caseworkers can identify and support children who have been victimized as well as children that are at greater risk for future victimization. It provides background information about the issue, strategies caseworkers can use to identify and support victims and potential victims, and tools and resources that can assist caseworkers.
Human Trafficking and Child Welfare: A Guide for Child Welfare Agencies
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2017
Due to their potentially unstable living situations, physical distance from friends and family, traumatic experiences, and emotional vulnerability, children involved with child welfare are at risk for being targeted by traffickers who are actively seeking children to exploit. This bulletin is intended for child welfare agency leadership and explores how child welfare agencies can support children who are victims of human trafficking, as well as children who are at greater risk for future victimization. It provides background information about the issue, including its scope and relevant Federal legislation and initiatives, and strategies that agencies can implement to address the trafficking of children. State and local policy and program examples also are provided.
Preparing Adoptive Parents
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2020
Provides caseworkers with information and resources about the importance of preparing adoptive parents as well as how they can help prepare them for this journey. Information in this bulletin also may be pertinent for working with families formed through other types of permanency, such as guardianship. Caseworkers can support families adopting children from foster care by being upfront with them about what they might expect regarding bonding with the child, parenting a child who has experienced loss and grief, how parents and children may emotionally process the adoption, the supports available to both the child and parents, and other important topics.
Preparing Children and Youth for Adoption or Other Family Permanency
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2020
Helps child welfare professionals better understand the feelings and emotions children may experience regarding permanency and prepare them for placements with permanent families. Its focus is on adoption, but much of the information is also applicable to children with other permanency goals, such as kinship care or guardianship. Children, including youth, leaving out-of-home care for adoption or other family permanency require preparation and support to help them understand past events in their lives and process feelings connected to their experiences of abuse and neglect, separation, and loss.
Preventing, Identifying, and Treating Substance Use Among Youth in Foster Care
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2020
Youth in foster care often face multiple challenges that place them at increased risk of using substances. This bulletin provides child welfare professionals with information about the extent and effects of substance use among youth in foster care, ways to identify substance use, how to support youth in care who currently use or are at high risk for using substances, and strategies for prevention. It also addresses why and how you can collaborate with professionals in other fields.
Prioritizing Youth Voice: The Importance of Authentic Youth Engagement in Case Planning
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2021
Provides an overview of authentic youth engagement in case planning, including key concepts and tangible strategies for engaging youth.
Promoting Permanency for Older Youth in Out-of-Home Care
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2019
Provides information for child welfare professionals about the importance of permanency for youth and strategies for achieving it. Permanency efforts for youth should include both legal permanency (e.g., reunification, adoption, kinship care) and relational permanency (i.e., a relationship or connection with a caring adult, such as a relative, neighbor, service provider, teacher, or other important person in the youth's life). These adults may provide lifelong support that can help youth transition to adulthood and may even become a legal permanent option for the youth.
Providing Adoption Support and Preservation Services
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2018
Draws from available literature and practice knowledge to summarize key issues related to providing effective services to support the stability and permanency of adoptions. It is intended to support adoption professionals in addressing adoptive parents' and children's needs for services, recognizing key considerations in providing services, addressing emerging issues, and meeting common challenges in delivery.
Providing Background Information on Children to Prospective Adoptive Parents
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2018
This bulletin on providing child background information is designed to assist child welfare professionals who work with families interested in adoption and/or who are about to receive a referral for an adoption placement. It begins by explaining how complete disclosure benefits the child, the family, and the adoption agency by helping families make a fully informed decision; ensures the child being adopted will have full knowledge of his or her family, medical, and genetic history; helps prospective parents understand what supports and services might be needed; and helps agencies protect against wrongful adoption lawsuits. The types of information that should be provided are then reviewed, including material information on the child’s history, a written disclosure of background and health information, acknowledgement of the limitations of disclosure, and information regarding the child or youth’s potential Tribal heritage. Questions to consider about the child's birth family as well as the child's health, placement history, and educational history are listed. Considerations for international adoption are also discussed. The resource includes additional resources and six references.
The Risk and Prevention of Maltreatment of Children with Disabilities
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2018
Examines the statistics and research related to maltreatment of children with disabilities, risk factors, and strategies for prevention. Issues encountered when assessing a child with a disability for maltreatment are explored; and information about promising prevention, collaboration, and training approaches are outlined.
Sibling Issues in Foster Care and Adoption
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2019
Explores relevant research, strategies, and resources to assist child welfare professionals in preserving connections among siblings. Sibling relationships can provide positive support and improved outcomes for children involved with child welfare as well as for those in the general population. Connections with siblings can serve as a protective factor for children who have been removed from their birth homes, but for a variety of reasons, siblings may not be placed together or may not have regular contact.
Supervising for Quality Child Welfare Practice
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2020
Presents an overview of child welfare supervision and explores the dimensions of supervision that agencies may want to consider as they seek to strengthen the effectiveness of their services to children and families. This bulletin is designed to provide child welfare supervisors, managers, and related professionals with examples of States' efforts to strengthen supervisory capacity and with tools and resources to enhance supervisory skills.
Supporting Child, Caregiver, and Family Well-Being in Times of Crisis: Strategies to Promote Effective Virtual and Phone Engagement
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway, Child Welfare Capacity Building Center for States
Availability
Year Published
2020
This bulletin for child-serving professionals outside of child protective services discusses ways to support children and their caregivers and connect them with appropriate resources that may mitigate any risks for harm during crisis situations. This document is organized by the five protective factors that build on family strengths to foster child and youth well-being and development. Each section contains questions that professionals can address with parents/caregivers and with children/youth in the course of their work with families, with an emphasis on content appropriate for virtual visits.
Supporting Successful Reunifications
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2017
Offers information to help child welfare agency managers achieve successful reunifications. This bulletin includes a description of the benefits of supporting reunification and preventing reentries, statistics, factors that affect reunification and reentry, and relevant strategies and approaches. It also includes examples of promising practices being implemented by States and localities.
Tips for Supporting Virtual Family Time
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2020
Provides child welfare professionals with an overview of how they can promote successful virtual family time, including research about virtual interactions, how to prepare children and families, and tips and activities for visits. Family time, also known as parent-child visits, is a key factor in promoting family bonding and setting the stage for successful reunification after a child has been placed in out-of-home care. Although in-person contact is the preferred method for family time, there are extreme occasions when in-person contact is not appropriate or safe, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual family time, during which contact is established through video or streaming services, offers a safe alternative.
Working With Children, Youth, and Families on Disaster Preparedness
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2021
Discusses the importance of disaster planning in child welfare and how caseworkers and supervisors can prepare themselves and the families on their caseloads for emergencies. It also provides information on response and recovery strategies that child welfare professionals can use in the event of a disaster.
Working With Immigrant and Refugee Families: A Guide for Child Welfare Agencies
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Disponibilidad
Year Published
2022
Addresses systemwide strategies that child welfare agencies can implement to assist immigrant and refugee families, including interagency collaboration, screening for immigration benefits, culturally responsive practice, and trauma-informed care. It also provides examples of programs and promising practices.
Working With Immigrant and Refugee Families: A Guide for Child Welfare Caseworkers
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Disponibilidad
Year Published
2022
Provides background information related to the intersection of child welfare and immigrant and refugee families. It then discusses strategies caseworkers can use in their work with these families, including approaches to language and communication, concrete supports, considerations for permanency, culturally responsive practice, and trauma-informed care.
Working With Kinship Caregivers
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2018
Helps child welfare professionals promote kinship care by providing kinship caregivers with information, referral, and support services to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of children in their care. Topics covered include the types and benefits of kinship care, training for caseworkers and caregivers, specific strategies for supporting kinship caregivers, and examples of successful State and local child welfare programs that provide services to kinship caregivers.
Working With LGBTQ+ Families in Foster Care and Adoption
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2021
Helps child welfare and adoption professionals expand their cultural competence and skills when working with and recruiting parents who identify as LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and other diverse identities and expressions, including Two-Spirit) and same-gender or gender-diverse couples. This bulletin includes information about challenges faced by LGBTQ+ foster and adoptive parents, suggestions for helping LGBTQ+ families navigate challenging systems, and resources for supporting transgender parents. It also examines laws and policies and provides tips for developing welcoming and affirming agencies to engage this vital community.
Working With Military Families as They Pursue Adoption of Children and Youth
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2021
Provides an overview of how military families can meet the needs of children and youth eligible for adoption. Some children and youth may benefit from the support and training that military families receive, as well as the structured lifestyle that many military families have. It also addresses the unique adoption concerns facing military families, such as permanent change of station orders and deployment overseas during the adoption process. Adoption professionals should learn about military culture and be aware of the different resources available to military families who wish to adopt.
Working With Youth to Develop a Transition Plan
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2018
Helps child welfare professionals and others who work with transitioning youth to understand the Federal legislative requirements for transition plans and partner with youth to develop a plan over time and through close youth engagement that builds on their strengths while supporting their needs.