As part of the Children's Bureau's Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care demonstration initiative, the Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center (the Center) conducted a national cross-site evaluation of the demonstration program. The evaluation used a mixed methodological approach, which included a process and outcome component, to examine each grant community's planning and implementation of its local Systems of Care initiative and the corresponding impact such work had on community collaboratives, agencies, and children and families. The resulting evaluation reports provide overviews of the planning, implementation, and outcomes of the Systems of Care demonstration initiative, and summarize the challenges, promising practices, and lessons learned.
Overview of the National Cross-Site Evaluation
Summarizes the initiative and its cross-site evaluation, presents key findings related to the implementation process and outcomes, and highlights lessons learned and conclusions.
View the Report (PDF - 1.6 MB)
Systems and Organizational Change Resulting from the Implementation of Systems of Care
Provides an in-depth analysis of the critical factors that influenced the Systems of Care initiative during the planning and implementation phases; highlights the outcomes at the systems, organizational, and individual levels; and identifies sustainable policies, structures, practices, and components expected to endure beyond the grant period.
View the Report (PDF - 2.5 MB)
View the Appendix (PDF - 1.1 MB)
Systems of Care Implementation Case Studies
Features two case studies that synthesize the research findings from Contra Costa County, CA, and North Carolina, and includes the strategies and approaches used by the grant communities to develop a principle-guided approach to child welfare service delivery for children and families.
View the Report (PDF - 1.1 MB)
View the Appendix (PDF - 406 KB)
Family Involvement in the Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care Initiative
Describes the planning process and implementation of family involvement at the case, peer, and systems levels, and identifies lessons learned and recommendations to enhance implementation of future family involvement efforts in child welfare.
View the Report (PDF - 716 KB)
View the Appendix (PDF - 421 KB)
Leadership in the Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care Initiative
Examines the role of leadership in implementing systems change, and highlights the experiences of leaders in seven of the nine grant communities as they planned and carried out strategies and approaches to effectively implement the Systems of Care initiative.
View the Report (PDF - 573 KB)