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.

If you are interested in our series and learning experiences, please use our search bar or explore our topics.

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Library and Information Services

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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 37 resources
PDF

Find meaningful and actionable connections among your agency’s strategic planning, review, and CQI efforts using this toolkit.

Publication Year 2024
PDF

Identify data sources to explore your state’s system of foster and adoptive parent licensing, recruitment, and retention.

Publication Year 2023
PDF

Use this brief to explore actionable strategies for meaningful partner engagement in child welfare agency strategic planning, monitoring, and review processes.

Publication Year 2022
PDF

Use this brief to help your agency coordinate strategic and long-term planning, monitoring, and reporting processes—such as the Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP) and Child and Family Services Review (CFSR)—with agency continuous quality improvement (CQI).

Publication Year 2022
PDF

Explore the key components of engaging youth and families in individual permanency planning.

Publication Year 2021
PDF

Support agency staff in the authentic engagement of youth and families in individual permanency planning processes.

Publication Year 2021
Webinar

Explore tools and resources that can help states plan for family-strengthening activities aligned with the FFPSA and prevention-oriented collaboration strategies.

Publication Year 2021
Video

Recorded webinar of youth with lived expertise and child and family serving agency leaders discussing strategies to support meaningful youth engagement and integrating family and youth voices at individual, practice, and system levels.

Publication Year 2021
Infographic

Illustrates the four thematic pillars necessary for organizational capacity supporting engagement with young people currently and formerly in foster care. Each of the four segments succinctly defines an element of organizational capacity building for youth engagement.

Publication Year 2021
PDF

The journeys of children, youth, and families in child welfare are seldom a straight line. Typically, there are highs and lows and winding paths in between

Publication Year 2020
PDF

Get ideas for working with community foundations, endowments, and charitable trusts to improve outcomes for children and youth.

Publication Year 2019
PDF

Learn how leveraging NGO connections in the community can help child welfare systems be more flexible and adaptable in achieving program goals.

Publication Year 2019
PDF

See strategies and examples for partnering with faith-based communities and leaders on behalf of children and youth in foster care waiting to be adopted.

Publication Year 2019
Video

Desiree is an alumna of the foster care system. She lived with the same foster care family for 14 years. She entered foster care with three of her siblings, and wants to use her experiences growing up in foster care to make a difference for those still in the system.

Publication Year 2017
PDF

Explore the four thematic pillars necessary for organizational capacity that supports engagement with young people currently and formerly in foster care.

Publication Year 2017