Families involved with the child welfare system often also are engaged with other public agencies. Collaboration between and among agencies improves service delivery and the experiences of children and families who deal with multiple organizations. This section contains resources and information about collaboration among public child welfare and other human service agencies, including State and local examples.
Collaboration
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
Provides information and tools for collaboration across child welfare, substance abuse, court systems, and other family-serving agencies.
Creating and Sustaining Cross-System Collaboration to Support Families in Child Welfare With Co-Occurring Issues: An Administrator's Handbook (PDF - 1,434 KB)
Capacity Building Center for States (2017)
Provides information relevant to using collaborative practices and models across human service systems in order to better serve families in contact with child welfare who are dealing with co-occurring issues. The handbook defines co-occurring issues and challenges in gaining access to individualized services families in child welfare might face.
Cross-System Collaboration
Capacity Building Center for States (2019)
Provides publications, trainings, podcasts, and more on cross-collaboration across child welfare, other public agencies, Tribal governments, courts, and others to improve outcomes for children and families.
On the Pathway of Hope: Safe Children, Strong Families, Supportive Communities
Casey Family Programs (2019)
Highlights initiatives funded and supported by Casey Family Programs that focus on prevention and collaborating among agencies to keep children safe, make families strong, promote the safe reunification of children in foster care, and build supportive communities.
State and local examples
Child Welfare Collaborations
Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS)
Provides information on the CDHS Office of Children, Youth & Families collaborative practice to improve service delivery and outcomes for children and family at the state and county level across the court, juvenile justice, behavioral health, and other public systems.
A Model for Collaboration and Results: How Cross-Agency Collaboration Helped Hampton, VA., Build a Broad Array of Child and Family Services (PDF - 1,034 KB)
The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2015)
Details the success of child-serving agencies in Hampton, VA, in collaborating to achieve better outcomes for children and families through sharing funds and priorities across child welfare, education, juvenile justice, and mental health systems.
The Power of Collaboration in Preventing Child Neglect Partnering With Substance Use, Mental Health and Domestic Violence Systems (PDF - 615 KB)
FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (2018)
Highlights State examples of partnerships with substance use disorders, domestic violence, and mental health agencies and providers to improve outcomes for children and families and prevent child maltreatment.
Regional Partnership Grant Program
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
Provides information, reports, and webinars on the Children’s Bureau funded projects to increase well-being outcomes for children in or at risk of out-of-home care due to a parent or caregiver’s substance abuse disorder through strengthening interagency collaborations and coordinated service and program delivery. The website includes a webinar on the enhanced collaboration seen through these projects and feedback (PDF - 807 KB) from interviews with previous grantees on collaborative practices, the impact on broader systems, and more.