The following resources are designed to help engage groups, agencies, and organizations as partners in the Child and Family Services Review process to improve outcomes for children and families.

Building Teams for Effective and Sustainable Change
Capacity Building Center for States (2018)
Children's Bureau Express, 19(9)
Describes how organizational and systemic change results from the collective efforts of teams and discusses the brief, Change and Implementation in Practice: Teaming, which provides agencies with teaming support to develop their Child and Family Services Plans, Program Improvement Plans, prevention strategies, or other strategic improvement initiatives.

Capacity Building for Innovation in Child Welfare (PDF - 1,577 KB)
Capacity Building Center for States (2018)
Explores current research and the most effective ways to build organizational capacity for innovation in child welfare in five areas of capacity building: resources, infrastructure, knowledge and skills, culture and climate, and engagement and partnership. The brief also discusses possible challenges to innovation and possible solutions.

CFSR Round 3 Statewide Data Indicator Series
Capacity Building Center for States (2017)
Provides information and data on the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) indicator, placement stability, which measures whether the agency ensures that children who are removed from their homes experience stability while they are in foster care.

Change and Implementation in Practice: Teaming (PDF - 595 KB)
Capacity Building Center for States (2018)
Assists child welfare agency leaders, managers, and stakeholders with building teams to guide the change and implementation process. The brief begins with background and contextual information for effective team building, then provides step-by-step information on the process of building teams and effective teaming structures.

Child and Family Services Review: How Judges, Court Administrators, and Attorneys Should be Involved (PDF - 500 KB)
Capacity Building Center for Courts (2016)
Provides guidance for courts, attorneys, and court administrators on the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) along with an explanation of why CFSRs are important to maintaining the momentum of court improvement efforts, how legal systems can help or hurt CFSR outcomes, and suggestions for how courts can be involved in the CFSRs.

Child Welfare Practice Within the Context of Public-Private Partnerships
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau (2018)
Children's Bureau Express, 19(8)
Discusses how child welfare practice operates as a partnership between public agencies and private organizations and examines how these relationships should be structured to provide effective service delivery; how performance measurement and management systems can be developed to promote child safety, permanency, and well-being; and how managers can promote effective, culturally appropriate services.

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.

Come Together: Partnering With Stakeholders for Better Strategic Planning
Capacity Building Center for States (2019)
Children's Bureau Express, 20(2)
Discusses how integrating federally mandated strategic planning and program improvement processes, such as Child and Family Services Reviews, with continuous quality improvement initiatives can help a State align priorities, implement a shared vision, share information among teams, and lead to more positive outcomes.

A Landmark Achievement in Program Improvement Plan Development Brings Cause for Hope
Milner (2019)
Children's Bureau Express, 20(4)
Describes a new approach, piloted by the Children's Bureau, to Program Improvement Plan development, requiring enhanced levels of partnership between the Federal Government, State government, county child welfare agencies, Federal technical assistance providers, and other stakeholders, including parents and youth.

Strategic Planning in Child Welfare Archived Webinars
Capacity Building Center for States (2019)
Presents two webinars. The first is designed to help increase the knowledge and skills of child welfare staff to engage families, community providers, and other stakeholders in agency initiatives. The second offers practical information from experts and child welfare professionals to support coordinated strategic and long-term planning.

Strategic Planning in Child Welfare: Integrating Efforts for Systems Improvement (PDF - 342 KB)
Capacity Building Center for States (2019)
Includes tips and strategies to help agency Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP) and Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) leads, continuous quality improvement and evaluation staff, and others coordinate and integrate CFSP and Annual Progress and Services Review development with the CFSR and other planning and improvement efforts. The resource also features a list of guides and tools and a matrix that crosswalks elements of major federal planning and improvement processes.

Strategic Planning in Child Welfare: Strategies for Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement (PDF - 270 KB)
Capacity Building Center for States (2019)
Addresses the importance of meaningful stakeholder engagement in child welfare agency strategic planning. The brief also discusses potential barriers to stakeholder engagement, provides strategies for overcoming them, and suggests actionable steps for achieving meaningful stakeholder engagement in strategic planning processes.

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