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.

Examine current research and how best to build organizational capacity in five areas, and learn about possible challenges and solutions.

Learn about quality contacts, why they are important, and how an agency can successfully implement them.

Get the basics on general practice for agency interventions, including screening, documenting descriptions of abuse and protective efforts, and evaluating risk.

Learn about research and practice insights for implementing evidence-based practices in child welfare systems.

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

Explore the practical application of implementation science in child welfare.

Read recent research on child welfare workforce management, including recruitment and retention, professional development, and organizational culture.

Find out how simulation training is used in child welfare and learn the five key steps for developing and implementing a simulation programs.

Explore the types of simulation training available, the benefits, costs, and other considerations, when setting up a simulation training program.

Learn to prepare transgender children and youth for court and support them in the courtroom.

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.

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

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.

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.