Child Welfare Virtual Expo 2020
Explore the archived 2020 Child Welfare Virtual Expo to hear from experienced child welfare professionals at every level discuss effective policy and practice.
Strengthening Families Through Prevention and Collaboration
In today’s challenging environment and with the ongoing need to support children and families, providing opportunities for child welfare staff to learn about new strategies for building strong, prevention-focused child welfare systems is more important than ever. The presentations and resources below, which have been adapted from the 2020 Child Welfare Virtual Expo (CWVE), explore strategies for strengthening families, supporting implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), and creating prevention-oriented child welfare systems that focus on keeping families together and improving the lives of children, youth, and families. Managers can use the resources in this collection to help teams dive into six key topics:
- Becoming a prevention-focused system
- Collaborating with families for systems change
- Creating effective partnerships for primary prevention
- Developing and measuring comprehensive prevention frameworks
- Building a culture and climate that support a prevention-focused system
- Taking the first steps toward a more prevention-focused system
Ready to Get Started?
First, select the topics that align with your team’s goals and interests. Then, use the activities in the discussion guide to prepare individuals for group learning, facilitate team discussions, create a shared understanding of how these topics relate to everyday work, and develop action plans to move the work forward.
Child Welfare Virtual Expo 2020 Discussion Guide
Provides information and activities for each topic, including a description of the topic, reflection questions tailored to the topic, and team activities for child welfare staff and collaborative partners. The reflection questions and team and collaborative partner activities will help the group identify themes and develop an action plan using the included tool.
Discusses the importance of primary prevention in child welfare, the public systems approach to prevention (including the need for involving multiple voices and partnerships and strategies for developing a robust prevention continuum), and examples of how states have successfully implemented prevention programs. Choose this topic to:
- Gain a foundational understanding of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention in the context of child welfare
- Learn how to engage and involve community partners in prevention planning
- Explore strategies from the public health approach that can support child welfare agencies in anticipating system changes
Becoming a Prevention-Focused System: Conversation With National Experts
Examines the question of how to change a system designed to protect children from their families to one that supports families to keep their children safe and healthy. The session explores the question from several perspectives. Choose this topic to:
- Explore how to build an organizational culture that supports engaging and strengthening families throughout the prevention continuum
- Learn strategies to establish, support, and reinforce collaborative development of a service array that is responsive to families and youth
- Discover strategies used by jurisdictions and private organizations to support family networks and systems
- Hear about unique tribal practices and customs used to engage families
Family Engagement: A Collaborative Process for Systems Change
Offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of effective collaboration to help gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of effective collaboration from multiple perspectives. Presenters also discuss strategies that can help avoid pitfalls when implementing effective partnerships for primary prevention. Choose this topic to:
- Gain insight into key elements of being an effective partner or collaborator
- Hear lessons learned from leaders in the field on pitfalls and speedbumps experienced in building collaborative relationships
- Learn about strategies for enhancing communication in collaborations
- Understand the role of data in child welfare prevention work
Going Behind the Scenes: Effective Partnerships for Primary Prevention
Explores strategies for developing a comprehensive community prevention framework across all levels of prevention and examines how the impact of systems in the prevention framework can be analyzed and measured through data analysis and continuous quality improvement (CQI). Choose this topic to:
- Identify strategies for developing comprehensive community prevention frameworks across all levels of prevention
- Discover how systems within the prevention framework work together to provide services for children and families and how the impact can be analyzed and measured
- Learn how the prevention framework can be integrated into the CQI system and what types of data can be collected and used
- Explore strategies for collaborating with families, youth, and community partners in understanding, sharing, and using prevention outcomes data throughout the CQI system
Developing and Measuring the Success of a Comprehensive Prevention Framework
Highlights the importance of successful collaboration and engagement for implementing prevention-focused systems and discusses strategies for building a prevention-focused agency culture while simultaneously working on collaboratively spreading the vision for prevention beyond the borders of child welfare agencies and into the community. Choose this topic to:
- Examine the meaning of “culture” in the context of child welfare
- Recognize the connection between moving prevention efforts forward and ensuring culture and climate are aligned with agency beliefs and values
- Identify ways to assess and address gaps in culture and climate needed to support prevention
- Learn foundational strategies necessary to lead the organization and community in building a culture, climate, and workforce that support prevention and collaboration
Building Prevention-Centered Systems: Key Leadership, Workforce, and Community Roles
Explores actions that can lead to building authentic, collaborative, and prevention-focused child welfare systems and presents strategies for effective collaboration between child welfare agencies and community partners in the provision of prevention services. Choose this topic to:
- Identify strategies for effective collaboration between child welfare agencies and community partners in the provision of prevention services
- Review the FFPSA and develop ideas for incorporating it into state or territory plans
- Develop a better understanding of how prevention-focused systems can improve child welfare outcomes
- Learn strategies for engaging teams and the community around prevention-focused systems, strengthening families, and community partnerships
Looking for More Information?
Access the Exhibit Booth resources
Explore the Virtual Gallery resources
Watch the “Meet the Moment” video to learn more about the Children’s Bureau’s response to inequality in child welfare.
Interested in Earning Continuing Education Credits?
We are pleased to offer social work, clinical psychology, counseling, and marriage and family therapy continuing education units (CEUs) with this learning experience. A link to purchase CEUs is provided in the description of each individual session. *
*Note: The CEU sponsor, R. Cassidy Seminars, maintains responsibility for its CEU program. For more information on the licensing program and requirements, please visit the sponsor’s website.
Connect with Us
Learn how we can help your agency build the capacity to thrive.
Email: capacityinfo@icfi.com
Phone: 1.844.222.0272
Live Chat
Visit the Center for State’s Contact Us webpage for more information.