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 about negotiating boundaries, communication, support, and normalcy from a young person formally in foster care and her adoptive parents.

See statistics on increased risks for LGBTQ youth and learn how child welfare systems can use healthy approaches when working with LGBTQ children and youth.

Learn about a framework for applying safety science to promote a culture of safety in child welfare agencies.

Learn about various instruments used to measure well-being for program, case planning, and evaluation purposes.

Understand the role of coaching in supporting workers, including coaching functions, effectiveness, models, and strategies.

Shares Stephen’s story about being a community-based provider and policymaker in Florida, the need for laws that empower caregiver decision-making, creating Florida’s reasonable and prudent parent standard (RPPS), and the effect RPPS and normalcy laws can have on foster care.

Get informed about creating normalcy for LGBTQ children and youth in foster care and browse relevant examples.

Browse the “Leading Your Agency Through a Disaster” tip sheet to see how common elements of child welfare leadership can be adapted for effective disaster management and an example of action during each phase of disaster management.

This video is a part of the Empowering Caregivers, Strengthening Families Video Series. It demonstrates key aspects of agency support to caregivers, including the importance of quality personal contact, training, and resources to empower caregivers through the process of moving from foster parenting to adoption.

Get the latest research on decision science and safety decision-making practices in child welfare to help improved safety outcomes.

Highlights the beneficial role of agency support and encouragement to caregivers in ensuring effective foster parenting and successful reunification measures. In this video, a foster parent discusses the importance of communication and trust between caregivers and biological family members, along with agency training and resources, for successful reunification.

Available on CapLEARN; registration required.

Watch and discuss what you hear from firsthand accounts of resource parents sharing the impact of support and collaborative partnerships when working with children, youth, and their families. Agencies can use the videos and discussion guide to explore the impact of agency staff, peer, family, and community support structures on resource parents. 

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

Exhibits the effect of committed caregivers throughout the process of foster parenting to adoption and demonstrates the power of strong families in promoting positive outcomes and permanency for children. In this video, an adoptive parent shares her reflections on her relationship with her daughter on the day of her adoption.