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.

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

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.

Learn how Anntesha’s experience as a child living with her grandparents and later in foster care influenced her to become a relative caregiver to her niece and nephew and work as a kinship navigator. 

Discover how to examine and drill down into state data to build understanding of what’s happening in your child welfare system.

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

Explore additional resources for engaging individuals with lived experience as advisors for groups, committees, boards, and more.

Explore strategies to engage individuals with lived experience as advisors for groups, committees, boards, and more. 

Explore additional resources to learn how to accurately and safely collecting data on LGBTQIA2S+ youth and young adults.

Learn strategies for accurately and safely collecting data on LGBTQIA2S+ youth and young adults.

Watch a discussion on focusing on job-specific skills (instead of best practices culture), training in a virtual environment, and integrating racial equity across child welfare training.

Explore how child welfare professionals and organizations can build capacity for implementing the reasonable and prudent parent standard (RPPS) for children and youth in foster care. 

Browse the themes and key takeaways from the How We Partner With the Community to Improve Service Options podcast series.

Learn about the practice and systemic changes Hawaii, Indiana, and Westchester County, NY, made in partnership with their youth and young adult partners.

Examine current research and how best to build organizational capacity in five areas, and learn about possible challenges and solutions.