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.

Explore our resources below and filter them as you need.

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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 181 - 195 of 210 resources
Video

Illustrates the changes parents face when they decide to provide full-time care for their relative children and the benefits of different types of agency support. In this video, a kinship and adoptive parent discusses strategies she used to successfully provide stability for the children in her growing family and the importance of having agency resources to accommodate changing family needs.

PDF

Learn a research-informed framework for agencies to explore implementation of CQI systems across seven areas, including leadership support and modeling, staff and stakeholder engagement, communication, administrative structure, use of quality data, case record review process, and application of CQI findings.

PDF

Read about the value of collaboration as the key to prevention, safety, and long-term stability for children and families.

Video

Demonstrates the power of positive caregiver perspective alongside child welfare agency encouragement and support. In this video, caregivers share the concerns they had about becoming foster parents and discuss the resources that helped them become committed and effective foster parents.

Video

Watch this short, animated video to examine how changing the language and messaging we use can support a shift to a more prevention-focused child welfare system.

PDF

Use the integrated Theory of Change video workbook to record your questions and ideas for changing practice, which you can then use to apply the theory of change development process at your agency.

PDF

Theory of Change discussion and activity guide  to support knowledge and skill development for individuals and teams and facilitate team discussion and targeted action planning.

Video

This video highlights the story of a family specialist in Ohio and her experience working with families to successfully place children with kin.

Video

Highlights the rewards and challenges of providing permanency and stability for relative children with differing needs. In this video, a single grandparent of five discusses her experience becoming a kinship caregiver, foster parent, and then legal guardian for her daughter's children, support the caseworker provided for her to become a certified foster parent, and the joy of watching her grandchildren thrive.

Webinar

This recorded webinar includes examples from the field about how agencies have coordinated program monitoring, fidelity assessment, formative evaluation, and summative evaluation activities and used strategies for developing and implementing an evaluation plan.

Webinar

Learn how continuous quality improvement (CQI) processes can improve implementation fidelity and enhance program outcomes at a child welfare agency.

Video

This video highlights the story of a kinship specialist with the New York City Children’s Services and how she collaborates with fellow child welfare agencies in identifying kinship guardians to result in successful kin placement.

Podcast

Listen to Indiana’s child welfare partners talk about making the shift to an upstream approach to prevention services possible in this short podcast. 

Webinar

Learn about the Indiana Department of Child Services’ upstream prevention approach to training and development, expanding the service array, and collaborating with system partners and providers in this recorded webinar.

PDF

Engage staff and partners with activities in this guide to start a dialogue and create a vision for a more prevention-focused child welfare system.