February 2014Vol. 15, No. 2Print issueSpotlight on LGBTQ Youth

The National Resource Center on Adoption (NRCA) is developing a project to share the stories of individuals and families who have experienced adoption in the United States. The adoption experience varies greatly from family to family, and the Adoption Tapestry project aims to share these different perspectives from families across the entire nation. The project consists of unscripted audio stories told by people who have been adopted and their families in which they share their firsthand experiences with adoption and guardianship. The stories will be collected and displayed via a map of the United States on the project's dedicated webpage on NRCA's website. The goal is to have each State represented by a personal account of an adoption experience, and NCRA will continue adding audio clips to the map throughout the year.

Through the Adoption Tapestry project, the NRCA hopes not only to share various perspectives on adoption and illustrate the diversity in adoption experiences, but also to foster community awareness of the importance of permanency, inform practice, and provide a place to raise up and preserve the voices of those touched by adoption.

Visit the NRCA's Adoption Tapestry page often to hear new audio clips as they are added:

http://www.nrcadoption.org/map/

If you would like to submit your audio story for consideration, visit the following link for additional information and instructions:

http://www.nrcadoption.org/we-need-your-adoption-stories/

In 2013, the Children's Bureau awarded the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) $21.2 million to continue its work on workforce development. For the next 5 years, NCWWI will lead the Center of Excellence on Workforce and Leadership Development within the Bureau's Training and Technical Assistance Network. In this new role, NCWWI will look to serve and work with the field through more intensive and focused approaches.

NCWWI's recent issue of National eUpdate shares some specific information about its new direction, including a strengthened vision statement, explanation of its enhanced purpose, and a list of the six partner institutions that it now comprises. The article also details NCWWI's dynamic future goals and activities, which include:

• Providing leadership development to child welfare agency staff (supervisors, middle managers, and directors) and schools of social work deans, directors, and chairs
• Implementing university-agency partnerships to build the capacity of the child welfare workforce
• Building evidence of best practices in workforce development

To read more about CB's continued funding and NCWWI's goals for its next phase, access the entire National eUpdate announcement article here:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs104/1103622714543/archive/1115872804805.html

The Children's Bureau's Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Network continues to produce resources that can help States and Tribes in their work with children and families. Some recent resources are listed below:

• Child Welfare Information Gateway posted the following new resources:
  
  • Social Media: Tips for Foster Care Workers:
    https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/smtips_worker.cfm
  • Social Media: Tips for Foster Parents:
    https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/smtips_parent.cfm
  • Social Media: Tips for Youth in Foster Care:
    https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/smtips_youth.cfm
• Information Gateway also posted the following updates:
  
  • Consecuencias a Largo Plazo del Maltrato de Menores (Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect):
    https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/sp_long_term_consequences.cfm
  • El Impacto de la Adopción en los Padres Biológicos (Impact of Adoption on Birth Parents):
    https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/impactobio/index.cfm
  • El Impacto de la Adopción en las Personas que Han Sido Adoptadas (Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons):
    https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/impactoadoptadas.cfm
  • Los Hijos Solos en Casa (Leaving Your Child Home Alone):
    https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/homealone_sp.cfm
• The National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center (AIA) has developed a new online tutorial on "Supporting Children of Parents With Co-occurring Mental Illness and Substance Use":
  http://aia.berkeley.edu/training/online/tutorials/
• The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI) will host the third session in its cosponsored winter webinar series on February 6. For more information and to register for the session "Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) For Courts and Child Welfare: Collaborations to Improve Outcomes," cosponsored by the National Resource Center for Legal and Judicial Issues (NRCLJI), visit http://www.nrcoi.org/tele_detail.htm.
  Recordings and materials for the first two sessions of the series, "Delivering and Sustaining Evidence Based Interventions (EBIs): Incredible Years in San Diego" and "Delivering and Sustaining Evidence Based Interventions (EBIs): Triple P in San Francisco," both cosponsored by the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (NRCFPC), will also be available at http://www.nrcoi.org/tele_detail.htm.
  NRCOI also developed five working papers focusing on different aspects of a CQI system. Access all of the papers here: http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/helpkids/qi_workingpapers.htm
• The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) posted the following new resources:
  
  • NCWWI Bilingual Traineeship Program: Legacies and Lessons Learned:
    http://ncwwi.org/files/NCWWI_Bilingual_Traineeship_Legacy_Report_Sept2013.pdf (295 KB)
  • Twelve NCWWI Traineeship Programs: Comprehensive Summary of Legacies and Lessons Learned:
    http://ncwwi.org/files/NCWWI_Traineeships_Comprehensive_Summary_Legacies_Lessons_Learned_Sept2013.pdf (395 KB)
  • University Partnerships RFP Frequently Asked Questions:
    http://ncwwi.org/files/University_Partnerships_RFP_FAQs.pdf (229 KB)
• The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN) posted two new datasets:
  
  • Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), Adoption File 2012:
    http://www.ndacan.cornell.edu/datasets/dataset-details.cfm?ID=177)
  • Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), Foster Care File 2012:
    http://www.ndacan.cornell.edu/datasets/dataset-details.cfm?ID=176
• The National Resource Center for Child Protective Services (NRCCPS) posted several new documents to its CJA Recourses web section, including FAQs on the Children's Justice Act (CJA) and CJA Task Force, the CJA three-year assessment, and State Liaison Officers. There is also a new template for CJA 3-year assessment reporting, as well as an application and report template. Access all of the new resources here:
  http://nrccps.org/peer-networks/cja-support/cja-resources/
• The National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology (NRC-CWDT) posted National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) Guide to the Data Elements:
  http://www.nrccwdt.org/2013/12/nytd-guide-to-the-data-elements/
• The National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment (NRCDR) at AdoptUSKids created the Customizable Diligent Recruitment Navigator, a new tool to assist States, Tribes, and territories in their development of comprehensive diligent recruitment programs that can be tailored to individual child welfare systems and offers assistance and suggestions for diligent recruitment planning: http://www.adoptuskids.org/nrcdr/diligent-recruitment-navigator
  For technical assistance or questions regarding the Diligent Recruitment Navigator, contact NRCDR at nrcdr@adoptuskids.org.
• The National Resource Center for In-Home Services (NRC In-Home) launched an updated and information-rich website, with a fresh design and improved navigation features:
  https://nrc-ihs.org/
• The National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC) developed a new web-based toolkit focused on Youth Permanency:
  http://www.nrcpfc.org/toolkit/youth-permanency/
• The National Resource Center for Youth Development (NRCYD) published the November/December issue of Youth Port: http://www.nrcyd.ou.edu/novemberdecember-2013-youth-port
  NRCYD also posted the recording of its recent webinar "NYTD: Three Years Later: Lessons Learned From Locating, Engaging and Surveying Youth":
  http://www.nrcyd.ou.edu/learning-center/302-nytd-three-years-later-
• The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health (TA Center) posted the recording and materials from its recent webinar on "Legal Mandates and National Standards: Ensuring Language Access in Children's Mental Health": http://gucchdtacenter.georgetown.edu/resources/TAWebinars.html

Almost 200,000 children under the age of 3 come into contact with the child welfare system every year. Although young children are extremely vulnerable, the first years of life are a time when interventions can prevent and/or mitigate the negative effects of child maltreatment. A recent report from Child Trends and ZERO TO THREE suggests that high-quality, timely interventions focused on the unique needs of young children can significantly reduce the developmental damage to infants and toddlers who have been maltreated.

The report details findings from a survey of 46 State child welfare agency representatives. The goal was to identify innovative policies and practices, as well as key challenges, gaps, and barriers that agencies face in meeting the needs of infants and toddlers who experience maltreatment. Results indicate that most States have policies and practices to promote the health and well-being of all children who have been maltreated; however, there is often no distinction for the unique developmental needs of infants and toddlers. In addition, results show that States are not fully addressing the needs of birth parents.

The report indicates that States need, and some already have, policies that include more frequent visitation with birth parents; rapid screenings and services for health and developmental concerns; involvement of birth parents in services for their young children; services for birth parents; more frequent case reviews, court hearings, and caseworker visits; and specific training for child welfare staff on developmentally appropriate practices for infants and toddlers. The report includes several links to resources that may assist States.

Changing the Course for Infants and Toddlers: A Survey of State Child Welfare Policies and Initiatives is available on the Child Trend website:

http://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/changing-the-course-for-infants-and-toddlers-FINAL.pdf (5 MB)

The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently published a new KIDS COUNT Policy Report addressing the importance of investing in the earliest years of child development. A child's first 8 years are especially critical for fostering the cognitive, social, and emotional skills, as well as the good physical health, that lay the foundation for positive growth at later ages.

The report calls for an integrated and comprehensive system of services that meets the needs of all U.S. children between birth and 8 years of age, as well as their families. An effective early childhood system should integrate a wide variety of evidence-based programs that have demonstrated positive outcomes for families with young children. In order to meet the needs of all of the country's children, systems should focus on three primary goals:

1. Supporting parents who are caring for their children
2. Increasing child and family access to quality early care and education, health care, and other services
3. Ensuring that care is comprehensive and coordinated for all children between birth and 8 years of age

The full report further outlines specific strategies that fall under each of the three main goals and concludes by emphasizing the need for stakeholders to invest in early childhood development to prevent the need to address issues that arise later on in life. Furthermore, policymakers at the Federal, State, and local levels should inform their legislative efforts using evidence from best practices within the early childhood education and development fields.

The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for Lifetime Success, along with other KIDS COUNT data and research reports, is available on the Annie E. Casey Foundation website:

http://www.aecf.org/KnowledgeCenter/Publications.aspx?pubguid=%7bC1FB5F12-3394-4F79-9BF7-549F73DC7CA6%7d

An April 2013 issue brief by Advocates for Children and Youth (ACY) provides an overview of existing research, the unique risk factors of, and the trends associated with teen girls involved with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems in Maryland.

Youth involved with both child welfare and juvenile justice face myriad challenges, which generally require more intensive services than youth involved in a single system. However, these youth often do not receive the coordinated services and support they need because of the inherent barriers associated with cross-agency collaboration. Of these youth, a disproportionately large number are female, specifically women of color, yet little research exists to examine this phenomenon.

The ACY brief outlines some of the risk factors shown to make females more susceptible to involvement with both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, including age at the time of abuse, out-of-home placement, environmental and social instability, and a history of trauma and maltreatment. It also summarizes the legislation that the Maryland General Assembly passed in 2011 that looks at gender disparities in services offered by Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services. While the resulting report focused on youth involved with juvenile justice, many trends can be applied to crossover youth. Some of these trends and a number of other key points, including demographics/data are presented.

ACY is a nonprofit, Maryland-based advocacy organization whose mission is to promote and evaluate the effectiveness of policies and programs that work to ensure that all Maryland children are safe, healthy, educated, and secure in their families and communities.

Unique Risk Factors Signal Dual Involvement for Female Youth in Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems: More Research Needed to Better Serve Population, 10(4), the first of several related briefs, is available on the ACY website:

http://www.acy.org/upimages/Issue_Brief_Draft_Crossover_Girls_almost_FINAL.pdf (355 KB)

Even with thousands of children receiving early intervention and special education services in Missouri, many children and families in the State are underserved. To better meet their needs, the Community Partnership—an organization that works to match public and private funding, resources, and programs to achieve better results for children, families, and communities—established the Capable Kids and Families program (CKF). A new report from Chapin Hall provides evaluation data from the program's second year.

The program, which focuses on children birth to 6 years, has three primary components:

1. Home visiting. Specialists visit with families to offer developmental activities, discuss family needs and provide referrals, and coordinate therapy equipment needs. These visits also are intended to help decrease isolation and stress, boost confidence, and increase awareness of other resources.
2. Therapy equipment loans. CKF has purchased more than 1,700 pieces of therapy equipment, including books, tapes, and toys, that families can borrow free of charge. Equipment is available to address a wide range of developmental areas, such as gross and fine motor skills, speech and language, and sensory integration. This helps families to continue therapeutic activities throughout the week and not only during therapy sessions.
3. Supportive group meetings and activities. CKF encourages socialization among the families to promote resource sharing and peer support, which can help parents discuss issues, learn new skills, and alleviate feelings of isolation. The program also has inclusive playgroups that provide experiences for children of all abilities.

In 2011, the Community Partnership contracted Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago to evaluate CKF. The evaluation included a comparison group of families receiving services from programs other than CKF and utilized a mail survey and focus groups to collect data. There were few differences between the CKF service recipients and the comparison group in terms of their experiences and satisfaction with services. CKF families, however, used therapeutic services more frequently than the comparison group, but this could be related to the fact that children receiving CKF services had more (and more severe) disabilities or diagnoses. CKF families also had higher rates of satisfaction with their relationships with service professionals than the comparison families.

Another benefit of the CKF program that emerged from the focus groups was that the CKF program includes all family members when teaching families how to incorporate therapeutic activities into regular routines as opposed to other programs, which may only include some family members. Focus group participants receiving CKF services also found the monthly playgroups and other group activities to be very helpful and supportive.

To view the full report, Evaluation of the Capable Kids and Families Program: Year 2 Findings, visit the Chapin Hall website:

http://www.chapinhall.org/research/report/evaluation-capable-kids-and-families-program-year-2-findings

Research has shown that youth who have involvement with child protective services (CPS) are at risk for negative outcomes across many domains, including teen birth rates. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation recently released a report, California's Most Vulnerable Parents: When Maltreated Children Have Children, that uses linkages between CPS and birth records to provide additional analysis and understanding of teen birth rates among youth currently or formerly involved with CPS in Los Angeles County. The study was conducted by the University of Southern California in collaboration with the California Child Welfare Indicators Project at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Department of Social Services.

The following are some of the key findings from the study:

• Teen girls in foster care have a significantly higher rate of teen childbearing than girls in the general population of Los Angeles County.
• Among teen girls who gave birth, more than 40 percent had been reported as maltreatment victims prior to conception, and 20 percent had confirmed or substantiated allegations.
• Among girls who had been in foster care at age 17, more than 25 percent had given birth at least once before age 20.
• By age 5, children who were born to teen mothers who had been maltreated were more than twice as likely to be victims as other children.

To view the full report, visit:

http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/images/stories/PriorityAreas/FosterYouth/Downloads/Vulnerable_Parents_Full_Report_11-11-13.pdf (1,700 KB)

Children who have been placed in care because of abuse or neglect likely experience further trauma after entering the system, including separation from family, friends, and community, as well as the uncertainty of their future. A publication published by the State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center (SPARC) discusses the consequences that these multiple sources of trauma and stress can have on the long-term physical, social, and emotional well-being of these children and how trauma-informed care can lead to better outcomes.

Authors Eva Klain and Amanda White, from the American Bar Association's Center on Children and the Law, summarize research on the effects of trauma on children in foster care and the benefits of trauma-informed interventions and treatments. They also describe a number of promising evidence-based therapies that help children learn coping skills, manage trauma-induced responses, and form healthy relationships. The authors also point to models of trauma-informed practices for child welfare agencies, the juvenile courts system, and legal representatives. For each model, links to more detailed information are provided.

The authors conclude by presenting five trauma-informed practice recommendations, including:

1. Educating stakeholders about the effects of trauma on children and families
2. Ensuring that children entering the child welfare system are screened and assessed for trauma
3. Referring children to appropriate evidence-based, trauma-specific treatments
4. Providing information and trauma-related services to families and caregivers
5. Engaging stakeholders in the recovery process

Implementing Trauma-Informed Practices in Child Welfare was published by SPARC, an initiative funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, and is available from the SPARC website:

http://childwelfaresparc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Implementing-Trauma-Informed-Practices.pdf (276 KB)

Youth with disabilities face additional challenges as they transition from the child welfare system to independent living. Compared to their peers, this population is at increased risk for poor outcomes and need high-quality programs and services to help them live independently and safely.
Three guides from the Juvenile Law Center are designed to provide professionals with a framework for supporting youth with disabilities and are transitioning out of care.

A Guide for Professionals for Youth with Disabilities Transition Planning focuses on the following key topics:

• Available treatment services and resources for youth in the child welfare system
• Strategies to improve access to health care benefits and programs that match youth needs
• Requirements under State and Federal laws and eligibility criteria

Planning Tool and Protocol for Transition Planning for Youth with Disabilities from the Child Welfare System to Adulthood is structured as a companion to the Professional guide and outlines specific action steps for child welfare workers, including:

• Optimizing the transition process
• Youth engagement in decision-making
• Health care and financial assistance

Transition Planning for Youth with Disabilities in the Child Welfare System: A Guide for Youth offers an overview of the transition planning process. Each section explores a range of topics, including:

• Family and permanency options
• Obtaining Independent Living services
• Meeting health care, educational, and housing needs
• Accessing supplementary security income before and after transition

The series of guides is available on the Juvenile Law Center website:

http://www.jlc.org/current-initiatives/improving-outcomes-court-involved-youth/permanency-and-transition-adulthood/tran

Portland State University's Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures recently published a guide for community implementation of the Photovoice program. Photovoice encourages young people to get involved in their communities by giving them the opportunity to serve as neighborhood experts. Experts use cameras to document the realities of their day-to-day lives, enabling them to highlight various strengths and challenges within their communities. Photographs are then used to spark small-group discussions with policymakers, community leaders, and power brokers within the area to promote and initiate positive neighborhood change.

The program guide was developed based on lessons learned while implementing Photovoice with urban American Indian/Alaska Native youth receiving culturally and community-based services at the Native American Youth and Family Center. The guide provides helpful strategies for implementation, as well as knowledge gained from the experiences of the researchers and youth.

The guide provides specific strategies for the following:

• How to prepare stakeholders for implementing Photovoice within their communities
• The materials necessary for Photovoice implementation
• Strategies for engaging youth in discussions among themselves and with community leaders in order to effect change
• The ethics issues that need to be reviewed by youth
• Additional readings and resources for understanding the principles and concepts behind Photovoice

I Bloomed Here: A Guide for Conducting Photovoice With Youth Receiving Culturally- and Community-Based Services is available here:

http://pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/proj5-photovoice.pdf (358 KB)

In recent years, relationship education has been regarded as an effective tool for teaching the skills that foster healthy relationships and strengthen marriages. A new publication from the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC) provides practical guidance to organizations wishing to develop effective relationship education programs in their communities. The manual, Marriage and Relationship Education (MRE) Program Development and Management Manual, integrates and expands upon resources created by NHMRC in the course of its work with federally funded healthy marriage grantees, as well as incorporating tools and strategies suggested by those working in the MRE field.

The goal of the manual is to support the work of social service providers in delivering MRE through providing how-to guidance on developing MRE programs on building capacity; budgeting and funding; curriculum development; workshop logistics; program management; building public awareness; recruitment, enrollment, and retention of participants; and evaluation. Addenda include a glossary of terms; a list of online resources; and reproducible worksheets for use in programs, including tools for assessment and budgeting and a sample press release.

The National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC) is a clearinghouse for information, resources, and training on healthy marriage for researchers, policymakers, media, marriage educators, couples and individuals, and program providers.

Initial funding for this project was provided by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. Hard copies of the manual are available for purchase from NHMRC, or it is available as a downloadable PDF document:

http://www.healthymarriageinfo.org/resource-detail/index.aspx?rid=4025

Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS), a project of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), produced two bilingual safety guides: one for refugee and immigrant children, and another that speaks to older youth. Intended to build self-esteem, reinforce positive behaviors, and develop awareness and boundaries for children and teens, each guide addresses the challenges facing each age group with respect to cultural assimilation, socialization with peers, and relationships with adults.

The guides are available on the BRYCS website:

Keeping Safe! A Teen Bilingual Guide (Cuídense! Una Guía Bilingüe para Jóvenes):

http://brycs.org/documents/upload/teens-bilingual-safety-guide.pdf (4 MB)

Keeping Safe! Children's Bilingual Guide (Cuídense! Una Guía Bilingüe para Niños):

http://brycs.org/documents/upload/childrens-bilingual-safety-guide.pdf (4 MB)

The National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth produced an online guide for adults or other youth who want to start a youth-serving program. The guide is divided into four parts, each with a series of videos featuring "Tamara," a youth and family services professional, and other downloadable tools.

1. Define Your Niche walks users through identifying a problem to solve, how to help, and long-term goals for the program.
2. Conceive Your Vision and Mission provides information on why every program needs a mission and vision statement and how to write these statements.
3. Bring Your Nonprofit Into Being outlines the process for creating a nonprofit, building a board, and filing for tax exempt status.
4. Plan Your Programs addresses the kinds of programming the youth-serving nonprofit will offer and financing.

The National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth is a free information service of the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB). Its purpose is to educate the family and youth work field—including FYSB grantees and aspiring grantees—about the research and effective practices that can improve the long-term social and emotional wellbeing of families and youth.

The Start a Youth Program guide is available on its website:

http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/start-a-youth-program/stage-4

Approximately 25 percent of children in the United States under the age of 6 live in poverty and 12 percent live in extreme poverty. These children often have limited early learning experiences, which can cause educational failure and other negative outcomes later in life. The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) collaborated to produce a factsheet on young children's participation in and access to high-quality early care and education.

The factsheet outlines information about the percentages of young children with poor educational outcomes, trends in Federal and State investments in early care and education programs, and State policies that either affect or support both access to and the quality of these programs. Additional resources from CLASP and the NCCP also are provided.

Investing in Young Children: A Factsheet on Early Care and Education Participation, Access, and Quality is available on the CLASP website:

http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/Investing-in-Young-Children.pdf (874 KB)

Grandparents and other kinship caregivers face unique challenges and have specific needs. In 1994, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, in collaboration with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, produced a guide that identified needed programs, services, and other resources and information to help grandparents raising their grandchildren. In July 2008, the State Child Advocate bill was signed into law and established the Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. This Commission is actively working to better understand and address the needs of grandparents in this situation, and this updated guide is just one result of those efforts.

The guide is divided into 11 chapters, including Getting Started: What to Consider, Care and Custody Basics, and Financial Issues, Child Support and Public Assistance. A Resource Guide for Massachusetts' Grandparents Raising their Grandchildren, a collaborative effort by the Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate, the Department of Children and Families, and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, is available here: 

http://www.mass.gov/elders/docs/caregiver/grandparents-raising-grandchildren.pdf (411 KB)

Upcoming national conferences on child welfare and adoption through May 2014 include:

March 2014

• Children's Mental Health Research & Policy Conference
  University of South Florida/Department of Child & Family Studies
  March 2–5, Tampa, FL
  http://cmhtampaconference.com/
• Prevent Child Abuse Texas' 28th Annual Conference on the Prevention of Child Abuse
  Prevent Child Abuse Texas
  March 3–4, San Antonio, TX
  http://www.PreventChildAbuseTexas.org
• The 5th International Conference on Adoption and Culture
  Florida State University
  March 27–30, Tallahassee, FL
  http://english.fsu.edu/asac/asac_cfp_long.pdf 

April 2014

• New World of Adoption Conference 2014
  University of Massachusetts Amherst/Rudd Adoption Research Program
  April 11, Amherst, MA
  http://psych.umass.edu/ruddchair/annualconference/ 
• 32nd Annual Protecting Our Children National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect
  National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA)
  April 13–16, Fort Lauderdale, FL
  http://www.nicwa.org/conference
• 19th National Conference on Child Abuse & Neglect
  Making Meaningful Connections
  Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families
  April 29–May 2, New Orleans, LA
  http://www.pal-tech.com/web/NCCAN19/

May 2014

• 17th Annual Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference
  The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families
  May 28–30, Washington, DC
  http://www.wrconference.net
• 21st Annual Foster Care Conference
  Footsteps to the Future
  Daniel Memorial
  May 28–30, Daytona Beach, FL
  http://www.danielkids.org/page.aspx?pid=443
• 8th Biennial St. Johns's Unversity Adoption Conference
  Sleeping Giants in Adoption: Power, Privilege, Politics and Class
  St. John's University in collaboration with Montclair State University
  May 29–31, Queens, NY
  http://adoptioninitiative.org

Further details about national and regional child welfare and adoption conferences can be found through the Conference Calendar Search feature on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website:

http://www.childwelfare.gov/calendar/index.cfm

The Administration for Children and Families(ACF) released an Information Memorandum (IM) in August 2012 providing State title IV-B and IV-E child welfare agencies with information about establishing and maintaining continuous quality improvement (CQI) systems. To help States with creating and/or implementing these systems, a new e-training module on CQI in child welfare provides an introduction to CQI and its benefits and information on leadership qualities necessary for an effective CQI sysem, the five key components for a successful CQI system—modeled after the five points outlined in the ACF IM—implementing CQI in child welfare, and additional resources.

For the Continuous Quality Improvement in Child Welfare e-training module, visit:

https://training.cfsrportal.org/e-training-platform/2476

The CQI IM is available on the ACF website:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/laws_policies/policy/im/2012/im1207.pdf (315 KB)

Related Item

Children's Bureau Express featured a Spotlight section focused on CQI in the September 2013 issue:

https://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewSection&issueID=149&subsectionID=51