This brief can help child welfare agency leaders, managers, and teams set a strong foundation for a new program, practice, or other intervention. The brief begins with background information and definitions and then describes a step-by-step process for developing a comprehensive implementation plan and identifying capacity building strategies.

Explores the second task of creating a data plan to investigate the problem further. Creating a well-thought-out data plan helps the team plan for exploring the identified problem and move toward identifying a possible root cause or causes.

Watch the Change and Implementation in Practice: Overview video to learn how key steps, tasks, and concepts fit together to support your agency’s change initiatives. 

Learn about theory of change and why it is critical to implementing effective changes to improve outcomes. 

Presents the third task of collecting and analyzing data identified in the data plan to help answer research questions. Examining data helps teams tell a more complete story and understand the scope and impact the problem is having on the community.

Explore information and strategies for advancing racial equity through problem exploration.

This brief addresses both "identifying a problem" and "gathering data and exploring the problem indepth" in the first phase of the Change and Implementation Process.

Introduces the fourth task of identifying possible contributing factors and root causes using different methods. A root cause analysis is a structured approach to understand why a problem occurs using data. Understanding why a problem or unmet need exists helps teams better identify the potential solutions to it.

Explores the fifth task of exploring possible root causes and using data to validate them. Taking time to revisit data, helps teams align on true root cause(s) before moving towards possible solutions.

Summarizes the change and implementation process and provides an overview of the Change and Implementation in Practice series briefs, “how to” guides that explain key steps and tasks in the process.

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.

Presents how to conduct pilot testing for a new intervention.

Presents how teams can conduct usability testing, analyze results, and make adjustments to intervention implementation plans.

Explores the planning task of creating a usability testing plan to try critical intervention components and implementation procedures to see how they work.

Examines how teams can determine an approach and develop a plan for pilot testing.