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 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.

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.

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.

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