What Needs to be Done

The specific action steps for a legislative policy initiative will vary depending on several factors, including the issue, the locality, established legislature procedures, and your overall strategy. It also may be shaped by the assessment presented earlier in the Policy Action Guide. When working toward affecting policy through legislation, there are certain general steps that should be incorporated:

Obtaining Input and Building Support

There is increasing recognition of the critical importance of incorporating consumer input into policy development processes. Moreover, personal stories from families, youth, and other service recipients and service providers can be powerful tools for gaining buy-in for proposed legislation. In addition, successful execution of new legislation requires acceptance and application at multiple levels within relevant organizations, from administrators to front line staff. As such, it is essential to gather input from and rally support among the various levels of staff through multiple avenues. Bringing all stakeholders into the policy process and actively encouraging buy-in early will help contribute to a broader base of support during implementation.

Important considerations for obtaining input and building support include:

  • Who are your populations of interest for gaining initial support and providing input on drafts (e.g., organization staff, service recipients, the broader community)?
  • What strategies will be used to gain buy-in and build early support for the proposed legislation?
  • How will input on the proposed legislation be gathered (e.g., discussion forums, surveys, representatives serving on a policy workgroup) from key stakeholder groups, including:
    • Staff (e.g., frontline workers, supervisors, managers, administrators) who will be required to implement or oversee practices or procedures directed by the new or revised legislation?
    • Service recipients (e.g., youth, family members) who will benefit from or be affected by the proposed legislation?
    • Other organizations or service providers (e.g., partners, other community organizations) who will benefit from or be affected by the proposed legislation?
  • Who are the existing champions of the legislation who can encourage buy-in among their peers? Are there other formal or informal leaders that could be engaged to garner support?

Resources

Building Community Support
Child Welfare Information Gateway

The Community Toolbox
University of Kansas, Work Group for Community Health and Development
See Part B, which includes information about obtaining input from stakeholders; Part C, which provides information about promoting interest in community issues and encouraging the involvement of diverse groups; and Part I, which includes information about using the media to promote a cause.

Leadership in Systems of Care: Creating and Communicating a Shared Vision (PDF - 565 KB)
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

Systems of Care Infrastructure Toolkit: Communication
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

Systems of Care Infrastructure Toolkit: Strategic Planning
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

Use of Communication in Quality Improvement
Child Welfare Information Gateway

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Developing the Draft

Carefully crafted language is a core component of a legislative policy initiative. The foundation for the draft can draw from stakeholder input, a review of similar policies, and research on best practices. The draft is likely to change as you move through the process, and so it is important to be flexible, creative, and attentive to detail to ensure that the final product reflects your teams' overarching goals.

Important considerations for developing the draft legislation include:

  • Will your proposed legislation change an existing piece of legislation or create a new one?
  • Are there existing policies that may restrict or support the proposed legislation?
  • Are there any data—internal or external—that support your approach?
  • Are there any policies in other locations that support the legislation you are trying to enact?
  • Have you determined your best case scenario for what you would like to see included in the legislation? Have you determined any areas on which you are willing to compromise?
  • Will your group be providing draft language to legislators? If so, who will be crafting the draft? Who will need to review and approve it?

Resources

Bill Drafting Guide 2019
Washington State Legislature, Statute Law Committee, Office of the Code Reviser

Guide to Drafting Legislative Documents (PDF - 1,997 KB)
Illinois General Assembly, Legislative Reference Bureau

Manual for Drafting Regulations (PDF - 585 KB)
Connecticut General Assembly, Legislative Commissioner's Office

Policy Matters: Setting and Measuring Benchmarks for State Policies (PDF - 1,541 KB)
Center for the Study of Social Policy

Systems of Care Infrastructure Toolkit: Policy
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

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Planning an Outreach Strategy

An effective outreach strategy will actively engage a broad base of organizations and stakeholders to encourage passage of the proposed legislation and later to support its implementation. Following enactment, outreach strategies should focus on communicating the underlying principles of the legislation, the implications for practice and service delivery, and the anticipated outcomes for children and families. Outreach should be streamlined and consistent so that all team members convey the same message in an easily understandable form.

Important considerations for developing an outreach strategy include:

  • Whose support is needed for the legislation because it may affect them (e.g., caseworkers, families, community service providers)? What is the most effective form of communication to your populations of interest (e.g., flyers, one-on-one meetings, community meetings, mass media)?
  • What are the key messages to communicate regarding the proposed legislation?
  • If media outreach is needed, which types will be most successful with the populations of interest (e.g., Web sites, TV, print)?
  • Are there current media and outreach campaigns related to this issue? Have you reached out to the organizers of those campaigns?
  • Does one of the team members have skills or experience in this area? Does an outside provider need to be brought in to provide communication and outreach support?
  • What other forms of outreach may be required to develop broad-based support for the proposed legislation?

Resources

Gaining Buy-in From the Front Line During Times of Change (PDF - 440 KB)
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care: Systems of Care Guide: Guide for Strategic Planning (PDF - 4,696 KB)
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

The Role of Social Marketing in System Reform
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Systems of Care Infrastructure Toolkit: Communication
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

Use of Communication in Quality Improvement
Child Welfare Information Gateway

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Planning Implementation Strategies

Even before the legislation is enacted, you should begin planning for implementation. Think about how the new legislation will require changes in work processes and skill requirements and how those changes can be facilitated through recruitment, training, coaching and supervision, data systems, and administrative practices. In addition, you may need to consider developing new internal policies or multiparty agreements to align your operations with the new legislative mandates. Since policy implementation is a dynamic process, these strategies will likely evolve over time.

Important considerations for developing implementation strategies include:

  • What obstacles or challenges need to be overcome (e.g., operating procedures, long-standing traditions of working differently) to support effective implementation of the proposed legislation? What are the strategies to do so?
  • What skills, abilities, or qualifications will be needed by staff to carry out the new legislation? Who will require training to effectively understand and build skills to implement the new legislation? What types of training or other professional development will be required?
  • How will coaching, mentoring, or supervision be used to help staff align day-to-day practices with the new legislation? What changes, if any, will be needed in recruitment? In staff performance evaluation?
  • What documents (e.g., policy manuals, client forms) will need to be modified to reflect the legislation? What data systems or administrative processes (e.g., monitoring, data collection) will need to be developed or changed?
  • What changes or new development will be needed in internal policies, agency regulations, or multiparty agreements?

Resources

The Community Toolbox
University of Kansas, Work Group for Community Health and Development
Chapter about how to institutionalize an initiative.

Implementation-Specific Tools and Resources
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse

Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care: Building the Infrastructure: A Guide for Communities (PDF - 2,003 KB)
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care: Systems of Care Guide: Guide for Strategic Planning (PDF - 4,696 KB)
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

National Implementation Research Network (NIRN)

Systems of Care Infrastructure Toolkit: Training, Development, and Human Resources
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

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Identifying Resources

It is important to think strategically about the monetary and nonmonetary resources that will be required throughout the legislative initiative. Nonmonetary resources may include tangible items, such as meeting space, as well as the intangibles that each partner brings to the table (knowledge of the local legislative process, personal connections to legislative offices, and content-area expertise). The resources you need may fluctuate over time, so reassess periodically throughout the legislative initiative. Additionally, as you identify the required resources for your initiative, you should keep in mind the partners that will be able to provide them.

Important considerations for identifying and obtaining resources include:

  • How much funding may be required to plan, support, and implement new or revised legislation? Examples of what may require funding include printed materials, advertising, Web site, transportation, and consultants.
  • What types of nonmonetary resources are needed (e.g., meeting space, knowledge, skills, relationships)?
  • How much staff or volunteer time will be required?
  • Will formal agreements be required to obtain access to needed resources? For example, if a partner organization will be providing funding for printed materials, will a memorandum of understanding or contract be required?

Resources

Community Partnerships: Improving the Response to Child Maltreatment
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect
Chapter 3 provides an overview of how to build and sustain a community partnership, including securing funding and other resources.

The Community Toolbox
University of Kansas, Work Group for Community Health and Development
See Part L, which provides information about generating, managing, and sustaining financial resources, and Part M, which provides information about soliciting contributions and in-kind support.

Effective Financing Strategies for Systems of Care: Examples from the Field: A Resource Compendium for Developing a Comprehensive Financing Plan (PDF - 2,809 KB)
University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health

Grants.gov
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Funding
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Maximizing Program Services Through Private Sector Partnerships and Relationships: A Guide for Faith- and Community-Based Service Providers (PDF - 2,590 KB)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

Systems of Care Infrastructure Toolkit: Finance
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

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Assessing the Results

Assessing results can provide vital information for the current legislative initiative, as well as future policy efforts. The assessment can range from debrief meetings to a rigorous evaluation. Assessment data can ensure your current initiative is on its intended course, identify needs for new tactics, or help establish successful procedures. The assessment can help your team determine if and how well it met its objectives and the role of various components of the process (e.g., specific partners or strategies). Conducting an assessment also may help you communicate the impact and benefits of the legislative initiative to stakeholders.

Important considerations for the assessment of a legislative initiative include:

  • What are the desired goals and objectives for the policy initiative (e.g., enacting the legislation, receiving additional money through an appropriation, meeting with a certain number of legislators, gaining a certain number of votes, gaining support from a certain number of people)?
  • Can you obtain data to track the above goals and objectives?
  • Does one of the team members have skills or expertise in assessment or evaluation? Does an outside provider need to be brought in to provide evaluation support?
  • Will you be gathering qualitative data, quantitative data, for the assessment? Are those funds available?

Resources

Community Partnerships: Improving the Response to Child Maltreatment
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect
Chapter 5 discusses how to measure the results of a community partnership.

The Community Toolbox
University of Kansas, Work Group for Community Health and Development
See Part J for information about evaluating community programs and initiatives.

Evaluating Advocacy and Policy Change
Innovation Network

Evaluating Program, Practice, and Service Effectiveness
Child Welfare Information Gateway

The Evaluation Exchange: A Periodical on Emerging Strategies in Evaluation (Spring 2007) (PDF- 1,560 KB)
Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Family Research Project

A Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy (PDF - 256 KB)
Organizational Research Services (for Annie E. Casey Foundation)

Pathfinder: A Practical Guide to Advocacy Evaluation (PDF - 1,148 KB)
Innovation Network

The Program Manager's Guide to Evaluation
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation

Systems of Care Infrastructure Toolkit: Continuous Quality Improvement
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care

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