We are happy to announce that our 12th issue of CW360º, Child Welfare Reform, is now available online.
The task of making revolutionary, or even incremental, change to a system as complicated as our child welfare system can be daunting. Many ideas have been presented and attempted over the past several decades, with mixed results. Is there a perfect formula to create a child welfare system that ensures safety, permanency and well-being for all children?
Any change, whether it be through federal or state policy, agency regulations, or leadership-driven philosophical shifts, can take a considerable amount of time and energy to implement, and maintaining that change even more so.
Through this publication we offer insights from a variety of voices to promote a discussion of current research in evidence-based practices and innovative strategies that are being implemented in agencies around the country. We also present voices from several people who have worked in child protection and who have been involved in the system.
Articles in this issue include:
- An overview of several strategies that have been used across the country to reform the child protection system;
- A history of federal policy reform and the effect on practice;
- How systems adapt to change using research evidence, performance-based contracting, Getting To Outcomes and other models to inform their work;
- Practice strategies in use around the country, with lessons learned from planning, implementation and evaluation methods; and
- Birth parent, adoptee, and foster youth perspectives on the importance of culture and the impact of bias in child welfare practice.