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Developing or reviewing policies or programs through the lens of lived experience can help improve child welfare practice by recognizing trauma, providing more family-centered services, or increasing the likelihood of successful transition to adulthood. Successfully engaging foster care alumni requires more than asking youth to share their personal experiences with an audience. This episode, “Foster Care Alumni – Making Lived Experience Matter, Part 1,” shares perspectives, personal stories, and guidance from members and former members of Foster Care Alumni of America to help agencies understand the value of alumni of all ages, provide information on how to look for and find the right alumni partners, and discuss the impact sharing has on alumni, especially alumni who work as child welfare professionals.

In support of National Adoption Month 2020 and its "Engage Youth, Listen and Learn" theme, this episode shares two examples of jurisdictions increasing youth involvement with their own permanency plans. Listen to these examples of Ohio and Washington's Adoption Call to Action efforts to increase youth engagement and have more success with their ACTA plans and beyond.

The Children’s Bureau hosted a webinar to share the lessons and experiences of two jurisdictions whose Title IV-E Prevention Plans received approval from CB. In “Family First – Title IV-E Prevention Plan Implementation Updates – Part 1,” leaders from two jurisdictions—Washington, DC, and Utah—speak about their different approaches to implementing Family First.

What can States do to create a shared vision around prevention among all their regions and agencies, and how are all those diverse needs and efforts compared and measured across the State? Listen to representatives from California describe creating a single approach to evaluating the diverse prevention efforts across its 58 counties,

This episode explores a series of evaluation and assessment tools to review and monitor one prevention-focused program across an entire State. Listen to representatives from Kentucky's Community Collaborations for Children. Grantees detail how they ensure prevention is considered when funding grants, developing policy and delivering services tailored to meet region-specific needs.

'Five Steps to a Stronger Child Welfare Workforce' explores the key components and requirements of a five-step process developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The process rose out of a 3-year effort to improve child protective services staff that was tested and evaluated through partnerships with Ohio’s Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services and Colorado’s Jefferson County Division of Children, Youth, and Families.

In 'The Power of the Parents’ Voice' three members of the Parent Advisory CouncilVisit disclaimer page provide guidance for agencies regarding: -Ways to identify and engage parents to share their voice and experience -How to involve parents across the entire system to improve outcomes -The biggest ‘a-ha’ moments practitioners have when hearing parent’s stories for the first time

'Workforce Part 2 — A State’s Approach to Change' shares an example of how one state changed its approach to staff development, as well as provides insight on the “must-haves” and lessons learned in moving away from isolated interventions and toward a targeted and cohesive strategy.

'Supporting Kinship Caregivers Part 1' is the first of a two-part series showcasing successful examples of kinship navigator programs connecting kinship families with available services.

'Protective Factors Part 2' is the second in a two-part series highlighting protective factors. This episode takes a detailed look into a local agency’s efforts to holistically implement a protective factors-based approach. The conversation also focuses on how a public IV-E agency and a policy organization collaborated to train and sustain the approach at all levels of the agency.

Child Welfare Information Gateway has developed a three-part podcast series on engaging fathers and working with fatherhood organizations. 'Engaging Fathers Part 1' and 'Engaging Fathers Part 2' feature a conversation with leaders of local fatherhood organizations in which they share their perspectives and insights on the following: -Examining fathers’ value in the lives of their children -Creating a father-friendly child welfare system -Locating noncustodial fathers in your community -Partnering with fatherhood organizations as a resource to support child welfare practice -Sharing the often unheard perspective of fathers

Child Welfare Information Gateway has developed a three-part podcast series on engaging fathers and working with fatherhood organizations. 'Engaging Fathers Part 1' features a conversation with leaders of local fatherhood organizations in which they share their perspectives and insights on the following: -Examining fathers’ value in the lives of their children -Creating a father-friendly child welfare system -Locating noncustodial fathers in your community -Partnering with fatherhood organizations as a resource to support child welfare practice -Sharing the often unheard perspective of fathers

'Working With the Correctional System and Incarcerated Parents' features a conversation between those with experience on both sides of the working relationship between the child welfare and correctional systems. Each side of this relationship shares the same vision for the incarcerated parents: reentry into society and reunification with their family where appropriate.