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.

If you are interested in our series and learning experiences, please use our search bar or explore our topics.

Explore our resources below and filter them as you need.

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.

Connect With Us

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 61 - 75 of 196 resources
Video

Tells the story of the relationship, initially forged over a shared meal, between a youth and her CASA worker. The CASA worker’s advocacy for concrete supports to meet the youth’s needs helped grow the trust in their relationship.

PDF

This tool is a role-playing activity, designed to help child welfare workers and supervisors become more familiar with the process of recognizing and translating buzzwords into descriptive language.

PDF

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

PDF

Learn how domestic violence and child maltreatment affect families and read about the risks, impacts, protective efforts, and other related topics.

PDF

Learn how domestic violence documentation can help hold perpetrators accountable and promote survivor safety and well-being.

PDF

Discover a comprehensive range of information about domestic violence decision-making.

PDF

Find family engagement strategies for survivors, children, and perpetrators of domestic violence.

PDF

Examine foundational information and suggestions for effective casework and supporting examples for families experiencing domestic violence.

Video

Highlights the beneficial role of agency support and encouragement to caregivers in ensuring effective foster parenting and successful reunification measures. In this video, a foster parent discusses the importance of communication and trust between caregivers and biological family members, along with agency training and resources, for successful reunification.

Podcast

This podcast, 'Supporting Kinship Caregivers Part 1', is the first of a two-part series showcasing successful examples of kinship navigator programs connecting kinship families with available services.

Podcast

Listen to members of the Iowa Department of Human Services, along with Children & Families of Iowa, who helped institute and expand the State's parent partner program.

Webinar

Available on CapLEARN; registration required.

Provides an overview of the Family Empowerment and Leadership Academy (FELA), a learning experience designed to assist States in building their system capacity to involve family leaders at all levels of agency child welfare administration and practice.

Podcast

This episode features the lessons learned and experiences gained through the YMCA Families United Family Group Conferencing Program, a recipient of a 2015 Children's Bureau grant within the Building the Evidence for Family Group Decision-Making in Child Welfare discretionary grant cluster.

Webinar

Provides an overview of resources and strategies to enhance approaches for providing financial capability training for youth who are transitioning out of foster care. 

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.