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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 46 - 60 of 86 resources
PDF

Get guidance, tips, and strategies for assessing agency culture and climate. 

Publication Year 2019
PDF

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

Publication Year 2019
Podcast

Explore the efforts agencies, community collaborative organizations, and others are making to bring families, youth, and communities to the table as they strive to improve the child welfare system in this podcast. 

Publication Year 2019
Podcast

In this episode leaders from the District of Columbia child welfare agency and a community collaborative organization discuss their longstanding partnership. The commissioner for Kentucky's child welfare agency describes the agency’s strategic communication plan and considers the role of the agency as part of the larger child welfare system.

Publication Year 2019
Podcast

In this introduction to the podcast series How We Partner With the Community to Improve Service Options, agency leaders talk about the changing culture of their organizations. Leaders from Kentucky discuss their Child Welfare Transformation initiative, three transformational goals, and culture of safety.

Publication Year 2019
PDF

Read recent research on child welfare workforce management, including recruitment and retention, professional development, and organizational culture.

Publication Year 2018
PDF

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

Publication Year 2018
Video

Listen in as parents and workers share their perspectives on the value of and approaches to improving comprehensive assessment of parents. 

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
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
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 models and approaches for targeting safety outcomes.

Publication Year 2017
PDF

Learn to facilitate a normalcy conversation and to promote normal and developmentally appropriate experiences for youth in foster care.

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
PDF

Learn about quality contacts, why they are important, and how an agency can successfully implement them.

Publication Year 2017