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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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Showing 46 - 60 of 104 resources
Video

Addresses the importance of being open to agency supports and the necessity of self-care in working through family transitions. In this set of digital stories, Jammie, a kinship parent caring for her niece's children, reflects on family connections and supportive services.

Publication Year 2020
Video

Tells the story of Melissa and her two sons, David and Emilio, following their adoption. This set of digital stories underscores the need for connections, educational supports, and post-adoption services.

Publication Year 2020
Video

Relays the highs and lows of Josh, a young adult with a passion to help children in foster care. While poised for success as he graduates college, Josh meets challenges later in life after the loss of critical supports. In this video, Josh points to trauma-informed strategies that build youth resilience and help create “reserves” for when crises hit.

Publication Year 2020
Video

Underscores the importance of community connections and ongoing supports to child and family well-being. In this set of digital stories, a grandmother, Joan, promotes the idea of “surround-sound parenting” for her adopted grandson, Chad.

Publication Year 2020
Video

Reveals the complexity of family dynamics through the experiences of Shary, a kinship parent caring for her niece, Brianna, and grandson, Random. In the first digital story, Brianna seeks to reconnect the pieces in her family puzzle. The second digital story highlights Random's unflappable resilience despite medical challenges.

Publication Year 2020
Video

Watch this recorded webcast to learn what it means to build a complete system of foster care as a support to families, not a substitute for parents.

Publication Year 2020
Video

Portrays a young woman's story of growing up in foster care, from 5 months through 7 years old, and the difficulties of transitioning back to her family. 

Publication Year 2019
Video

Describes the complex nature and special support needs of kinship care. 

Publication Year 2019
Video

Demonstrates the importance of collaboration and trusting relationships between a grandmother, a resource parent, and a social worker.

Publication Year 2019
Video

Portrays one family's story from the perspectives of the child’s mother, the grandmother, and the resource parent.

Publication Year 2019
Video

Tells the story of a family from the perspectives of the father of five children; his mother, who takes on the parenting role for her five grandchildren; and their social worker.

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
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.

Publication Year 2018
Video

Emphasizes the necessity of strong community supports to create a secure and stable environment for a new kinship family. In this video, a grandparent discusses moving across the country to ensure her grandchildren could see their parents.

Publication Year 2018
Video

Demonstrates the dedication and flexibility needed when providing kinship care in order to navigate visitation schedules, foster care certification processes, and permanency proceedings.

Publication Year 2018