Explore a family-focused program that embodies many of the changes that Kentucky wants to see throughout its child welfare system in this podcast. The START, program demonstrates a shift in organizational culture to focus on family and serves as an example of a truly collaborative team that uses early intervention and a shared decision-making model to work with families.

Learn about State Liaison Officers, who they are, their roles, responsibilities, and the Center for States resources available to them.

Identify data sources to explore functioning of staff and provider training.

Discover how the reasonable and prudent parent standard (RPPS) has been implemented in one state to promote normalcy for children and youth in foster care.

Identify data sources to explore how well your state’s statewide information system is functioning.

Demonstrates how showing up and listening are foundational to developing a nourishing relationship with youth. A young woman describes the constant support she and her family received from a social worker as she evolved from a youth into a teen mom and an advocate.

Recorded webinar of youth with lived expertise and child and family serving agency leaders discussing strategies to support meaningful youth engagement and integrating family and youth voices at individual, practice, and system levels.

Use this brief to explore actionable strategies for meaningful partner engagement in child welfare agency strategic planning, monitoring, and review processes.

Find meaningful and actionable connections among your agency’s strategic planning, review, and CQI efforts using this toolkit.

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

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

Explore ways to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) children and youth.

Explore strategies to recruit and support caregivers, strengthen their voices, and work together with them to meet the needs of children and youth.

Explore coaching steps and tips supervisors can use to help workers strengthen skills and meet goals.

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