Learn the definition and find information about normalcy and the reasonable and prudent parent standard in the PL 113-183.

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.

Learn about negotiating boundaries, communication, support, and normalcy from a young person formally in foster care and her adoptive parents.

Discover how the Capacity Building Center for States is working in partnership with the Children’s Bureau to advance racial equity in child welfare.

See statistics on increased risks for LGBTQ youth and learn how child welfare systems can use healthy approaches when working with LGBTQ children and youth.

Learn about a framework for applying safety science to promote a culture of safety in child welfare agencies.

Learn about various instruments used to measure well-being for program, case planning, and evaluation purposes.

Explore how data reported in AFCARS about youth who run away from state custody can be used to inform interventions.

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

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.

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.

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

Reflect on past results to inform plans for future improvements.

Explore considerations for assessing readiness as part of an equitable and inclusive change and implementation process. 

Explore considerations for testing, piloting, and staging new programs and practices with attention to equity and inclusion.