National Child Welfare Resource Center for Youth Development

Who We Are

The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Youth Development (NCWRCYD) increases the capacity and resources of States and Tribes to help youth in care meet the goals of safety, permanence, and well-being. The Center can help States incorporate youth into all areas of programs and services, implement services that address legislative requirements, and prepare for CFSR and Program Improvement Plan (PIP) development and implementation. The Center bases its technical assistance and training around four core principles: youth development, collaboration, cultural competence, and permanent connections.

How We Can Help

NCWRCYD has worked successfully with both States and Tribes to bring stakeholders together in an environment that promotes constructive dialogue. NCWRCYD can:

Facilitate diverse groups for strategic planning, collaboration, and consensus building
Work with States to draw youth into all three stages of the CFSR in order to benefit from their unique contributions and perspectives
Prepare youth to participate in all aspects of the CFSR
Work with States to engage Tribes as stakeholders
Facilitate planning sessions during development, implementation, and evaluation of the PIP
Evaluate Statewide Assessments, final CFSR reports, and PIPs, with a dual focus on improving services for youth and highlighting opportunities to engage youth in planning and implementation
Work with States and Tribes to recognize barriers and identify solutions for successful inclusion of youth and families in case planning and services
Work with States and Tribes to improve the Chafee Foster Care Independence and Education and Training Voucher programs

Technical Assistance and Training
The Center facilitates systemic change by providing technical assistance (TA) prior to and concurrent with training activities. TA sessions are designed to assist program and administrative staff with implementing and managing necessary change.

Technical assistance activities may include:

Work groups and committees
Strategic planning sessions (initial and ongoing)
Action planning sessions

The NCWRCYD offers a variety of trainings for States, Tribes and other providers that focus on both organizational and skill development. The Center can modify training to meet an organization's needs in the following areas:

Positive youth development
Engaging youth in the CFSR
Youth/adult partnership building
Permanency planning
Cultural diversity
Collaboration
Youth advisory board development
Strengths-based assessment and case planning
Educating judges and attorneys on issues faced by transitioning youth
Ethnographic interviewing
Conflict resolution
Family group decision-making
Youth leadership development
Pregnant and parenting youth
Life skills assessment and transition planning
Life skills instruction
Concurrent planning
Working with Native American youth
Preparing youth for transition
Foster and adoptive parent training
Managing aggressive behavior
Residential childcare programming
Working with runaway and homeless youth
Spirituality
Gender-specific training

Information Services
NCWRCYD regularly gathers, analyzes, and disseminates information on services and practices relevant to youth. NCWRCYD communicates with State Independent Living Coordinators and other professionals to stay current with trends, programs, and policies. Resources include:

A website providing the most current information on Federal, State, and Tribal policies and practices affecting youth and their families
Web-based, State-specific factsheets highlighting policy information, promising practices, and Chafee activities
Newsletters and publications containing best practices and current trends in youth work, published with collaboration from nationally recognized leaders in the field of child welfare

For More Information

Address:	4502 East 41st Street, Building 4W Tulsa, OK 74135
Phone:	918.660.3700
Fax:	918.660.3737
Email:	pcorreia@ou.edu
Website:	http://www.nrcys.ou.edu/yd
Contact:	Peter R. Correia III, Director

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