Resources in this section can assist managers and administrators with strategic planning and capacity building to develop and implement adoption services in compliance with Federal and State laws and policies. Resources include developing effective recruitment practices and utilizing adoption data and research.

Change and Implementation in Practice: Implementation Planning and Capacity Building
Capacity Building Center for States (2019)
Offers child welfare agency leaders, managers, and implementation teams a step-by-step process for developing a comprehensive implementation plan and identifying capacity-building strategies.

Implementation Science in Action
Capacity Building Center for States (2015)
Presents information from three national leaders in implementation science who share the implementation strategies they have used as well as their successes, challenges, and lessons learned. A free login is required to access this information.

Implementation Tools
Quality Improvement Center for Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation (2019)
Offers tools for implementing programs and services, including tools on establishing a governance/teaming structure, choosing an intervention and site, planning for implementation, determining the dissemination plan, and establishing sustainability efforts. The website includes samples of memorandums of agreement and data use agreements as well as cost-planning templates and narratives.

Implementing Evidence Based Practice Within Wraparound and Systems of Care
National Wraparound Initiative (2015)
Highlights the role of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in systems of care, explains common misconceptions, and includes examples from the field of integrating and building EBPs into systems. 

Strategies to Stage and Scale Up Implementation in Child Welfare Systems [Webinar]
Capacity Building Center for States (2016)
Explores the application of implementation science principles to decisions about staging and scaling new programs and practices that have not been implemented statewide. This webinar examines the elements needed to scale effectively, and representatives from various States provide insights from their experiences with staged implementation approaches. Registration is required to access this resource.

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Strategic Planning in Recruitment 

Developing Recruitment Plans: A Toolkit for States and Tribes (PDF - 846 KB)
National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment at AdoptUSKids (2017)
Provides ideas and strategies to consider when developing a strategic, data-driven recruitment plan; examples to follow; useful, adaptable tools; and other information. It also includes several worksheets to walk you through the planning process, offers ways to engage with data, and outlines what a recruitment plan is and the value of having a strong plan.

Effective Practices in Foster Parent Recruitment, Infrastructure, and Retention (PDF - 444 KB)
Casey Family Programs (2014)
Features a selection of State programs that have been successful in improving their foster parent recruitment program. Consisting of literature reviews and discussions with foster parent experts and agency managers, it draws out the major themes for successful recruitment practices that can be considered when developing strategic recruitment plans and incorporated into new and existing ones. 

Recruit Families
AdoptUSKids (2019)
Lists publications and webinars on successful recruitment efforts, tips for recruiting for teens and sibling groups, ideas for improving retention practices, and ways to use traditional media and social media in recruitment strategies. 

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Utilizing Data and Research

Child Welfare Virtual Expo 2019: Effectiveness in Child Welfare: Our Role in Improving the Lives of Children and Families
Capacity Building Center for States (2019)
Explores how to engage child welfare professionals at all levels in understanding and applying data and findings to improve practices, services, and programs.

Data-Driven Recruitment: Key Data Elements on Foster and Adoptive Families (PDF - 466 KB)
National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment at AdoptUSKids (2016)
Discusses the use of data in evaluating the efficacy of current recruitment practices for foster, adoptive, and kinship parents. A supporting webinar is also available. 

Data Sharing in Child Welfare (PDF - 214 KB)
Quality Improvement Center for Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation (QIC-AG) (2018)
Provides guidance on data sharing in child welfare, including information on the types of available data, four steps for successful data-sharing agreements, and overcoming barriers. 

Foster and Adoptive Parent Diligent Recruitment and Retention Plan (PDF - 1,413 KB)
North Dakota Department of Human Services (2018)
Provides a snapshot of foster care in North Dakota and shows how that data can be leveraged to develop recruitment plans, provide an overview of outcomes for children, and identify areas for improvement and barriers. It also provides a worksheet to help with gathering the necessary information to create a report and plan.

Who Cares About Adoption Data? We Do
Smith (2013)
National Center for State Courts
Highlights the importance of adoption data and how it can be used to improve systems and outcomes for children in out-of-home care. It also provides a link to a webinar that dives deeper into the importance of collecting data and the difficulties in doing so.

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