This brief can help child welfare agency leaders, managers, and teams set a strong foundation for a new program, practice, or other intervention. The brief begins with background information and definitions and then describes a step-by-step process for developing a comprehensive implementation plan and identifying capacity building strategies.

Explore information and strategies for advancing racial equity through problem exploration.

This brief addresses both "identifying a problem" and "gathering data and exploring the problem indepth" in the first phase of the Change and Implementation Process.

Explores how the factors of motivation, general capacity, and intervention-specific capacity influence agency readiness for change. This video provides examples of and considerations for conducting readiness assessments.

Presents the third task of team building: developing the team’s charter to set a foundation for teamwork by clarifying how the team will operate, divide responsibilities, and share in decision-making.

Learn how implementation teams can assess readiness for change and implementation and support related planning.

Explores the second task of creating a data plan to investigate the problem further. Creating a well-thought-out data plan helps the team plan for exploring the identified problem and move toward identifying a possible root cause or causes.

Examines the third task, developing the pathway or pathways of change to reach the long-term outcome, and provides examples of how to apply strategies. Casual links connect the root cause(s) of the problem to the long-term outcome, and “tell the story of how success will be recognized” at each level in the pathway.

Presents factors that may impact plans to conduct an assessment, how teams can clearly communicate the need for the readiness assessment, and what teams need to consider before conducting an assessment.

Introduces the fourth task of team building: developing a team communication plan and external communication strategy. This module helps teams clarify protocols for the flow and methods of communication and to define roles and responsibilities in the communication structure.

Learn how to collect, analyze, and use data about the implementation and outcomes of a program or other intervention.

Presents the third task of collecting and analyzing data identified in the data plan to help answer research questions. Examining data helps teams tell a more complete story and understand the scope and impact the problem is having on the community.

Presents the fifth task, documenting assumptions and rationale, and provides examples of how to apply strategies. A clear, concise narrative can help to engage stakeholders, decision makers and potential funders in future steps to address the root cause and problems identified.

Explores how the factors of motivation, general capacity, and intervention-specific capacity influence agency readiness for change. This video provides examples of and considerations for conducting readiness assessments.

Explores the fifth task of team building: guiding the change process by creating a detailed, comprehensive work plan based on the team charter that organizes the work through each step of the change and implementation process.