An Overview of Systems of Care in Child Welfare

		Email Follow these Steps to email a friend or colleague a link to this information. An Overview of Systems of Care in Child Welfare Year Published: 2009 http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/acloserlook/overview/ In recent years, systems of care principles have been increasingly adopted because of their potential to support efforts to improve child welfare and other human service systems in ways that lead to increased safety, permanency, and well-being for children, adolescents, and their families. However, while the systems of care approach has become more widespread, a clear understanding of what defines a system of care and how it operates has not kept pace. This issue of A Closer Look defines systems of care and discusses how the approach might be best applied in public child welfare settings. (Author abstract) Step 1: Recipient email address(es) (First one is Required) To Email Address 1: To Email Address 2: To Email Address 3: To Email Address 4: To Email Address 5:   Step 2: From Email Address (Required) From Email Address:   Step 3: Verify You are Human (Required) Are you Human? True False   Step 3: Send the link Print (PDF 1320KB)  Share
Author(s)	National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care;;
Year Published	2009

Implications for Administrators and Stakeholders

A Closer Look offers valuable information for Federal, State, tribal, and local administrators and policy-makers. While A Closer Look also will be useful for other key stakeholders, including child welfare frontline staff, interagency partners, providers, and families, the principal audience is individuals who have responsibility and authority to promote and support systems change.

A Closer Look:

• Informs child welfare decision-makers about how systems of care promote and guide systems change, both in policy and practice, to address the requirements of the Child and Family Services Reviews.
• Highlights innovations or changes in governance, policy, or practice that may be useful for addressing common challenges in child welfare systems.
• Promotes the effective use of systems of care principles and processes in guiding sustainable systems change among child welfare administrators and decision-makers.

Each issue of A Closer Look shares ideas and actions that administrators and decision-makers may adopt as they work to improve outcomes in permanency, safety, and well-being for children and families. Although each issue addresses a different systems of care principle, operationalizing a single principle will not lead to a fully functioning system of care. An effective child welfare driven system of care is based on the synergy of the principles as they are used to guide the work throughout an organization, the broader service system, and the community.

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