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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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

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Showing 1 - 15 of 17 resources
PDF

A summary of the key takeaways and steps of implementation planning and capacity building.

PDF

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.

Video

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. 

PDF

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.

Video

This video is a part of the Empowering Caregivers, Strengthening Families Video Series. It demonstrates key aspects of agency support to caregivers, including the importance of quality personal contact, training, and resources to empower caregivers through the process of moving from foster parenting to adoption.

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.

PDF

Consider ways to be intentional about advancing race equity while implementing new child welfare programs and practices. This publication includes questions for teams to consider throughout change and implementation processes—from the earliest stages of exploring a problem to identifying solutions to ensuring sustainable implementation.

PDF

This workbook and this video series are part of a collection of resources designed to help child welfare agency leaders, managers, and teams develop strategies and sequence tasks to prepare the agency for implementation. Use this workbook to further your understanding of concepts and prepare to move learning into action with your team.

PDF

This guide and this recorded webinar are part of a collection of resources designed to help child welfare agency leaders, managers, and teams develop strategies and sequence tasks to prepare the agency for implementation. Gather your staff to watch the webinar, “Preparing Your Team for Success: Strategies for Implementation Planning,” to learn how to engage stakeholders and team members in planning and preparing to implement an intervention. Then, use this guide to facilitate discussions and lead your team to move learning into action.

Video

Exhibits the effect of committed caregivers throughout the process of foster parenting to adoption and demonstrates the power of strong families in promoting positive outcomes and permanency for children. In this video, an adoptive parent shares her reflections on her relationship with her daughter on the day of her adoption.

Video

Highlights some of the factors that motivate caregivers to work through challenges and to provide permanency to children in foster care. In this video, a foster parent discusses lessons learned from fostering over 50 children in her home.

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This video raises key motivating factors for caregivers, including the need for strong family and community support networks.

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Emphasizes the need for agency assistance and openness toward creative therapeutic services such as music lessons and highlights the need for a strong caregiver support group. This video shares one caregiver’s positive experience working with older youth with special needs in therapeutic foster care.

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Addresses the importance of agency resources, such as caregiver support groups and specialized training, to equip caregivers to work successfully with children and youth who have severe therapeutic needs. This video highlights a therapeutic foster parent's belief that effective advocacy relies on agency resources and training as well as community support.

Video

Highlights the importance of recognizing the foster family as an extension of a child’s biological family and the role of effective communication between caregivers and biological family members. This video shares the experience of one caregiver who found that successful collaboration with biological family members, along with agency assistance to promote family engagement, proved effective for family reunification.