The manual combines research and guidance on best practices in family empowerment with the evolving field of implementation science. The manual also reinforces and expands on concepts introduced in the Center for States’ Family Empowerment and Leadership Academy (FELA).

Explore the process of transitioning to a prevention-focused child welfare system from several perspectives, including those of a mother and son with lived experience and leaders who set the tone and direction for putting families at the center of child welfare work.

Provides an overview of resources and strategies to enhance approaches for providing financial capability training for youth who are transitioning out of foster care. 

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

Explore concepts, terms, and foundational information about psychological safety on child welfare teams.

Hear about strategies for authentically partnering with youth, young adults, Tribes, families, and communities of color to inform and improve child welfare research, practice, and policy.

Explore and discuss state performance on CFSR statewide data indicators.

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

Explore the various aspects of the importance of normalcy for children and youth in care.

Examine a five-step framework that helps organizations promote youth engagement in normalcy conversations about the youth’s own care.

Learn how to create an agency organizational culture that is inclusive and knowledgeable about the unique needs of LGBTQ children, youth, and families.

Explore information and get guidance about sex trafficking and identification of sex trafficking victims.

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. 

Learn to use the CFSR Round 4 SPSS syntax to calculate observed performance for a state on all or selected statewide data indicators.

Get practical information about supporting coordinated strategic and long-term planning.