Organizational infrastructure can be broken down into multiple subdimensions that relate to the structures, systems, and processes within an agency:

• Governance and decision-making structures: The groups (e.g., boards, leadership teams, steering committees) that set directions and provide oversight and their decision-making processes. For new initiatives, this may include a multidisciplinary implementation team charged with overseeing selection, design, and implementation.
• Administrative structures: The organizational structures for support services. These may include financial, accounting, contracting, and procurement systems.
• Policies, operating procedures, and protocols: Established courses of action that guide practice and decision-making. Agencies create or revise policies, operating procedures, and protocols to reflect Federal and State legislative mandates, operationalize desired practices, and outline expected routines and workflow.
• Human resources, recruitment, and staff selection: The systems and processes related to finding and keeping the right staff for child welfare work. This subdimension includes recruitment and selection processes, hiring practices, development of job descriptions and realistic job previews, retention efforts, performance incentives, and performance evaluation processes.
• Training system: The learning processes and structures that help staff build knowledge and skills needed for service delivery. These may include preservice and inservice trainings as well as skill building specific to best practices and new initiatives.
• Supervisory and coaching system: Processes that provide staff with support, consultation, and feedback. These systems contribute to the delivery of consistent, quality practices and ongoing staff development. Coaching may work in concert with training to help staff apply training concepts to everyday practice.
• Service array and service delivery system: The array of supports and services for children, youth, and families involved with child welfare. This subdimension encompasses the structures and processes to link children, youth, and parents to accessible community services that meet their individual needs. Services in the service array may support substance abuse treatment, mental health, health, housing, education, employment and training, parenting, life skills, and other needs.
• Information system and data supports: The processes and procedures related to the collection and management of operations and performance data. This subdimension refers to data protocols and processes, while the hardware and software used to store and manage data falls under the organizational resources dimension.
• Evaluation, quality assurance, and continuous quality improvement systems: The agency systems and processes to identify, describe, and analyze strengths and problems and then develop action steps to respond. These include systems to evaluate and assess fidelity to new program models and make adjustments as needed.
• Communication systems (internal): The structures and processes that keep staff informed and ensure that necessary information flows up and down throughout the various levels of an agency as well as across program areas. These communication systems include feedback loops that support improvement and innovation.
• Communication systems (external): The structures and processes that support communications between the child welfare agency and external partners—such as courts, Tribes, juvenile justice agencies, treatment facilities, domestic violence shelters, and other community-based service providers. The systems may include interagency partnerships, Memoranda of Understanding, contracts, and other agreements.

Resources to Learn More About Organizational Infrastructure