1.  General information

Collaboration and vision

Administering & Managing Child Welfare Agencies & Programs
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provides resources on the essential components of administering and managing child welfare agencies and programs, such as leadership, governance, program development, and partnering with the community.

Agency Philosophy, Mission, and Policy
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provides resources on family-centered child welfare agency philosophies and how to develop agency mission and vision statements. The webpage includes State and local examples. 

Building a Better Collaboration: Facilitating Change in the Court and Child Welfare System (PDF - 1,321 KB)
Dobbin, Gatowski, & Maxwell (2004)
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Provides a step-by-step guide on how courts and child welfare agencies can come together to lead systems change efforts. The document includes examples from States that have collaborated successfully.

Change and Implementation in Practice: Teaming
Capacity Building Center for States
Provides step-by-step information on the process of building teams and effective teaming structures to implement changes.

A Child Welfare Leader’s Desk Guide to Building a High-Performing Agency: 10 Practices
The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2015)
Provides examples for agencies to use when thinking about enhancing their capacity dimensions and key practice areas.

Facilitating Cross-System Collaboration: A Primer on Child Welfare, Alcohol and Other Drug Services, and Courts (PDF - 1,100 KB)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau & HHS, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (2012)
Provides an overview of child welfare, alcohol and other drug services, and the courts in order to support cross-system communication and coordination within State, county, and Tribal jurisdictions.

How Agencies and Courts Improve Outcomes Together
Capacity Building Center for States
Presents a case study that follows the perspectives of an agency and a court system manager as they collaborate using continuous quality improvement to improve outcomes based on the latest Child and Family Services Review results (free registration required).

Strategic Planning in Child Welfare
Capacity Building Center for States
Provides guidance and tools to support coordination between internal agency continuous quality improvement work and the processes for the Child and Family Services Plans, Annual Progress and Services Reports, and Child and Family Services Review Program Improvement Plans.

Supporting Client Involvement in Implementation Teams (PDF - 276 KB)
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (2016)
Aids child welfare and community-based agencies in planning for and supporting the involvement of children, youth, and parents in decisions regarding policies and their implementation.

Youth Engagement Blueprint (YEB) Series
Capacity Building Center for States
Describes how to build capacity to promote a culture and climate that encourage youth engagement at all levels of an organization in four component areas: viewing young people as organizational assets, having the right people, implementing flexible and innovative programs and practices, and using science and technology effectively.

2. Assessment of current performance in improving outcomes

Child and family outcomes

Child and Family Services Review Findings
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provides resources that focus on findings from the Child and Family Services Reviews and State efforts to address areas needing improvement through their Program Improvement Plans.

Safety outcomes

Child Protection Casework Practice
Child Welfare Information Gateway 
Provides resources on decision-making, safety-planning phases, case planning and management, in-home services, and evidence-based practices in child protection. This webpage includes State and local examples.

How Data Protects At-Risk Children: Analytics for Child Well-Being (PDF - 940 KB)
SAS Institute (2016)
Describes the value and characteristics of a data-driven culture, including tips for how to advance it in a child welfare agency. 

Safety and Risk Assessment
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provides resources on safety and risk assessment instruments, including State and local examples.

Permanency outcomes

Permanency and the Child and Family Services Reviews
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Lists the Child Welfare Information Gateway web sections pertinent to the permanency measures in the third round of the Child and Family Services Reviews so that administrators can find resources to support supervisors and frontline staff in achieving and maintaining permanency.

Well-being outcomes

Engaging Partners in Child and Family Services
Child Welfare Information Gateway 
Provides resources related to improving the well-being outcomes of children and youth through a focus on cross-systems collaboration.

Well-Being
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Includes resources intended to help child welfare professionals stay abreast of science, policy, practice, and systemic efforts to enhance child, youth, and family well-being.

Systemic factors

Building Agency Capacity
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provides resources to help administrators assess and build agency capacity.

Building Community Support
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Presents resources for involving and equipping individuals and organizations to address risk factors and promote healthy families.

Formative Evaluation Toolkit
James Bell Associates (2018)
Explains the concept of formative evaluation and provides strategies that can inform program improvement and assess readiness for rigorous summative evaluation.

Strategic Planning in Child Welfare: Integrating Efforts for Systems Improvement (PDF - 342 KB)
Capacity Building Center for States (2018)
Provides tips and strategies to help States coordinate and integrate Child and Family Services Plan and Annual Progress and Services Review development with the Child and Family Services Plans and other improvement efforts.

Information system

Information Systems & Data
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provides resources that address the use of information systems and data in child welfare, including planning and implementing an information system; information sharing; and using data to improve the outcomes of children, youth, and families. 

Case review system

Qualitative Case Review
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Presents resources on qualitative case reviews and includes resources that describe State and local review processes as well as the resulting recommendations for systems improvement.

Quality assurance system

CQI Self-Assessment Tools
Capacity Building Center for States
Presents an instrument and supporting materials to assist States in assessing their continuous quality improvement systems and developing action plans for improvement.

Service array

A Data-Driven Approach to Service Array
Capacity Building Center for States
Includes a guide and worksheet that provide step-by-step guidance to help child welfare agency staff—including continuous quality improvement managers, data managers, program managers, and others—build capacity to work collaboratively with stakeholders to use data to ensure the availability, accessibility, and effectiveness of services.

Agency responsiveness to the community

Diverse Populations and Communities
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provides information for child welfare professionals about working with diverse populations, including engaging families; making appropriate case decisions; improving outcomes; and serving the best interests of children, youth, and families.

Engaging Communities to Support Families
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provides resources on engaging community members to support children, youth, and families, including State and local examples.

Foster and adoptive parent licensing, recruitment, and retention

Effective Practices in Foster Parent Recruitment, Infrastructure, and Retention (PDF - 444 KB)
Casey Family Programs (2014)
Identifies key elements from public and private agency programs that have demonstrated effective strategies in their recruitment, retention, and foster parent development efforts.

Home Study Requirements for Prospective Foster Parents
Child Welfare Information Gateway (2018)
Discusses State laws and policies for licensing or approving family foster homes.

Licensing Foster Parents
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provides resources and information about licensure types and requirements for foster parents.

Recruiting and Retaining Resource Families
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Offers resources on recruiting, retaining, and supporting a range of prospective and current resource families. The webpage includes State and local examples.

3. Plan for enacting the State's vision

Implementation supports

Active Implementation Hub
National Implementation Research Network
Offers a guide to help with the selection and implementation of evidence-based practices, links to implementation tools, and child welfare implementation examples.

California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
Provides information about evidence-based practices in child welfare.

Change and Implementation in Practice
Capacity Building Center for States
Provides a collection of research-informed resources that can help agencies achieve meaningful changes in child welfare practice and improve outcomes.

Development, Implementation, and Assessment Toolkit
Permanency Innovations Initiative Training and Technical Assistance Project
Provides online videos, guides, and learning materials related to implementation (free registration required).

Guide to Developing, Implementing, and Assessing an Innovation
Permanency Innovations Initiative Training and Technical Assistance Project (2016)
Offers a five-volume guide and online toolkit that provide detailed guidance on implementation processes and supports.

Strategic Planning for Program Implementation
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provides resources for managers and administrators to assist with strategic planning and addressing systemic issues identified in the Child and Family Services Reviews, such as barriers to adoption for children from foster care.