How are child protection agencies navigating and addressing workforce challenges?
Learn how several jurisdictions are implementing strategies to recruit and retain a strong child welfare workforce.
Healthy organizations
We believe that a skilled and stable child welfare workforce supported by quality-focused agency environments are key to improved outcomes for children and families. Leaders from the field have asked for resources on building healthy organizations. The documents featured here reflect responses to inquiries about developing an effective workforce and building data-informed infrastructure so that child welfare agencies function at their best.
How does turnover in the child welfare workforce impact children and families?
Learn about child welfare workforce turnover, its challenges to child protection agencies, and the impact it has on children and families.
How are kinship navigator programs developed and funded?
Learn about program development and funding stream recommendations from kinship navigator program experts in several states.
What keeps community-based organizations from contracting with child and family services agencies, and what can be done about it?
Explore how agencies serving children and families can reduce barriers to contracting with small community-based organizations.
How can screening threshold analyses inform improved intake decisions?
Learn from an analysis that evaluated the accuracy of decisions of a central hotline to screen in or screen out reports that come in.
Trauma-informed, healing-centered approaches
Explore our Questions from the field resources related to trauma-informed care.
What is a summary of child welfare class-action litigation?
Read summaries of child welfare class action litigation, by jurisdiction.
Child welfare financing
Explore a variety of our resources related to child welfare financing.
How is Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families working towards racial justice?
Learn how Connecticut DCF is making their work towards racial justice a key component of their department.
What are child protection agencies learning about supporting virtual engagement with children and families as well as staff?
Learn how the COVID-19 pandemic leveraged new ways of engaging virtually to support children and families.
How could behavioral design improve frontline child welfare practice?
ideas42 outlines strategies from behavioral science for reducing stressors on child welfare staff.
How can longitudinal data support child and family well-being?
Explore best practices for collecting and using longitudinal data to assess outcomes for families.
How does New Jersey maintain a stable child welfare workforce?
Learn about key strategies New Jersey DCF has implemented to keep a low rate of turnover among its child welfare workforce.
Safety science and safety culture
Explore a variety of our resources related to safety science and promoting a safety culture within child welfare agencies.
How do some child protection agencies approach coaching?
Learn how applying methods of coaching within child protection agencies can have significant positive effects on professional development.
How do some child protection agencies approach coaching? (APPENDIX)
Read summaries from several jurisdictions that use coaching models to train and develop their child protection agency staff.
What has been New York’s experience with casework teaming?
New York has found that casework teaming can help child welfare staff better meet the needs of the children and families they serve.
How have counties in New York approached implementation of casework teaming?
Learn how a casework teaming model for child welfare have been implemented in counties across New York.
Do higher standards of proof for child abuse and neglect impact rates of substantiation?
Learn about findings from a study that examines the outcomes related to having higher standards of proof for substantiation.
How can child welfare agencies use safety science concepts during a crisis?
Presenters at the National Partnership for Child Safety Collaborative describe how safety science has been applied during COVID-19.