Explore additional resources for effectively integrating lived experts into the child welfare workforce. 

Discover ways to effectively integrate people with lived expertise into the child welfare workforce. 

Explore additional resources to help effectively integrate lived experts into the child welfare workforce. 

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).

Explore tips and strategies to effectively engage and sustain the involvement of families and youth at the agency level. 

​​Examine how implementation science principles can be applied to decisions about staging and scaling up new programs and practices at a child welfare agency.​ 

Explore sex trafficking prevention best practices for implementing provisions of the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (P.L. 113-183).

Get an overview of the issues related to the physical and emotional safety of child welfare workers.

Explore additional resources to learn about key considerations to sustain research and evaluation partnerships with people with lived expertise and minimize harm. 

Explore tips to help promote youth mental health and wellness services, jurisdictional highlights, and links to relevant resources and tools.

Adapt  policies and practices to meet the growing needs of LGBTQ children, youth, and families. 

Explore additional resources to discover strategies for partnering with noncustodial fathers and paternal family members in child welfare. 

Addressed developmentally appropriate services for youth in foster care and identified best practices for Federal support of States and territories in implementing provisions of the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (P.L. 113-183).

Brandon is a 21-year-old alumnus of the foster care system. He was in the foster care system for about 10 years and serves as a foster care advocate, working in State government for the last 3 years. He feels that normal activities for all youth in foster care should include getting a driver’s license, going on out-of-State and overnight trips, and participating in sports.

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.