States are required to submit Program Improvement Plans (PIPs) when their child welfare services are determined to be out of conformity on any of seven outcomes or seven systemic factors assessed in the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs). Resources that follow provide guidance on developing and implementing PIPs and lessons learned.
Child and Family Service Review Outcomes: Strategies to Improve Domestic Violence Responses in CFSR Program Improvement Plans (PDF - 328 KB)
Taggart (2009)
Reviews recent trends regarding domestic violence in the CFSRs and presents strategies to help States develop effective PIPs to improve child and family outcomes in domestic violence cases.
Child Maltreatment Recurrence: A Leadership Initiative of the National Resource Center on Child Maltreatment (PDF - 216 KB)
Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc. & National Resource Center on Child Maltreatment (2003)
Provides background information States can use in their PIPs to reach the expected safety standard regarding the recurrence of child maltreatment, including information on factors that contribute to recurrence, methodological problems in the measurement of recurrence, and strategies to reduce recurrence.
Implementing Program Improvement Plans (PDF - 112 KB)
National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Managing Care for Children and Families, 5(2), 2004
Presents interviews with representatives from Vermont and Oklahoma who discuss their experiences implementing and monitoring their States' PIPs and their strategies for implementation.
Improving the Performance and Outcomes of Child Welfare Through State Program Improvement Plans (PIPS): The Real Opportunity of the Child and Family Services Review (PDF - 300 KB)
Center for the Study of Social Policy (2003)
Encourages States to consider the CFSR process as an opportunity to reform child welfare systems by outlining principles for improvement and examining the important components of PIPs. It includes sample PIPs from Alabama, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Vermont.
Lessons Learned: PIP Development [Teleconference]
National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement & Federal Child and Family Services Review Team (2008)
Highlights approaches that have helped agencies develop and implement comprehensive PIPs that involve critical stakeholders and focus on key systemic factors for improving child and family outcomes.
Some Sample Court Improvement Themes and Strategies to Consider Addressing in a PIP (PDF - 48 KB)
National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues (2007)
Summarizes potential legal-judicial themes and strategies to address during the CFSR process, including delays in the legal process, improved legal representation, foster parent involvement, concurrent planning, and judicial performance.