Resource Library

The Center for States designs products, services, and learning experiences to increase understanding and awareness, and build knowledge and skills. The Center focuses its attention on developing products and resources on several core organizational and practice topics.

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The Center for States provides research assistance and responds to information requests on building capacity in child welfare.

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Showing 1 - 15 of 110 resources
PDF

This guide is designed to support administrative leaders in states and other jurisdictions in using data to assess and identify ways to improve their service array.

Publication Year 2019
PDF

Learn the definition and find information about normalcy and the reasonable and prudent parent standard in the PL 113-183.

Publication Year 2016
Video

Frankie is 14 years old and lives with his sister, brothers, and moms. He and his sister were adopted when they were 2 years old and 4 years old, respectively. He loves spending time with his aunts, uncles, and cousins and loves being part of a big family.

Publication Year 2016
Video

Learn about negotiating boundaries, communication, support, and normalcy from a young person formally in foster care and her adoptive parents.

Publication Year 2016
PDF

See statistics on increased risks for LGBTQ youth and learn how child welfare systems can use healthy approaches when working with LGBTQ children and youth.

Publication Year 2016
PDF

Explore how independent verification and validation services for title IV-E agencies are used for child welfare information systems projects.

Publication Year 2017
Video

Learn how jurisdictions across the country respond to human trafficking cases and explore the latest developments in effective intervention.

Publication Year 2024
Webinar

Learn about a framework for applying safety science to promote a culture of safety in child welfare agencies.

Publication Year 2017
Webinar

Learn about various instruments used to measure well-being for program, case planning, and evaluation purposes.

Publication Year 2015
PDF

Explore how data reported in AFCARS about youth who run away from state custody can be used to inform interventions.

Publication Year 2015
Video

Buzzwords: Moving to Behavioral Descriptors doodle video is a short, animated video that follows a child involved in a child welfare investigation. The video describes what buzzwords are and illustrates the impact they can have on children and families. It also demonstrates how to recognize buzzwords and offers strategies for transforming buzzwords into objective, behavior-based descriptors.

Publication Year 2017
PDF

This publication looks at buzzwords in the context of words or phrases commonly used in child welfare reporting and documentation that can be subjective or carry negative connotations, and offers strategies to minimize their negative impact.

Publication Year 2017
PDF

This manual examines the roles and responsibilities of child protective services (CPS) workers. It describes the purposes, key decisions, and issues of each stage of the CPS process and strategies for casework supervision, training, and support.

Publication Year 2018
PDF

Learn about the identified five dimensions of capacity, browse examples of each, and find out why each dimension is important to an organization.

Publication Year 2015
Webinar

Available on CAPLearn; registration required.
Parts 1, 2, and 3 offers best practices information on responding to sex trafficking of children and youth in child welfare, and building knowledge on the special needs of trafficking victims and youth at risk of becoming victims.

Publication Year 2015