Resource Library

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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Library and Information Services

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The Center for States provides research assistance and responds to information requests on building capacity in child welfare.

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Learn how we can help your agency build the capacity to thrive.

Email: capacityinfo@icfi.com 
Phone: 1.844.222.0272

Visit the Center for States' Contact Us webpage for more information.

Showing 16 - 30 of 196 resources
PDF

Use this guide for tips, and strategies concerning the critical role leadership plays in creating and sustaining positive organizational culture.

PDF

Adapt proven strategies from this publication to improve specific areas of culture and that support collaborative development of an effective service array.

PDF

Adapt strategies from this publication to improve specific areas of culture and climate to support partnering with families after conducting an assessment.

Video

This video highlights the story of a therapeutic foster care social worker in North Carolina and how her own experience in kinship care helps her connect with kinship caregivers and engage families.

PDF

Learn the importance of effective, ongoing collaboration between child welfare agencies and community-based partners.

Webinar

Explores how to design, integrate, and implement financial capability services into existing programs targeted at youth who are transitioning out of foster care to help them manage their financial resources and avoid chronic financial instability. 

Webinar

Explore how child welfare professionals and organizations can build capacity for implementing the reasonable and prudent parent standard (RPPS) for children and youth in foster care. 

Infographic

Browse the themes and key takeaways from the How We Partner With the Community to Improve Service Options podcast series.

Video

Buzzwords: Moving to Behavioral Descriptors doodle video is a short, animated video that follows a child involved in a child welfare investigation. The video describes what buzzwords are and illustrates the impact they can have on children and families. It also demonstrates how to recognize buzzwords and offers strategies for transforming buzzwords into objective, behavior-based descriptors.

PDF

This publication looks at buzzwords in the context of words or phrases commonly used in child welfare reporting and documentation that can be subjective or carry negative connotations, and offers strategies to minimize their negative impact.

Video

Learn about the Collaborative and the work it does with agencies, Tribes, and courts to build capacity.

Video

Learn about Catherine’s journey recovering from trauma and addiction to be successfully reunified with her daughter.

Video

Listen to a foster care advocate’s mental health journey.

PDF

This manual examines the roles and responsibilities of child protective services (CPS) workers. It describes the purposes, key decisions, and issues of each stage of the CPS process and strategies for casework supervision, training, and support.

Webinar

Available on CAPLearn; registration required.
Parts 1, 2, and 3 offers best practices information on responding to sex trafficking of children and youth in child welfare, and building knowledge on the special needs of trafficking victims and youth at risk of becoming victims.