Training & Technical Assistance

The purpose of the T&TA Network is to build the capacity of State, local, Tribal, and other publicly administered or publicly supported child welfare agencies and family and juvenile courts through the provision of training, technical assistance, research, and consultation on the full array of Federal requirements administered by the Children's Bureau. T&TA Network members provide assistance to States and Tribes in improving child welfare systems and conformity with the outcomes and systemic factors defined in the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) and the results of other monitoring reviews conducted by the Children's Bureau to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families.

Many State and Tribal requests for training and technical assistance are made to Regional ACF offices. For a listing of Regional ACF offices and the States they serve, visit the ACF website: www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/oro

• Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network (2009) (PDF - 364 KB) - This booklet is designed to communicate to States and Tribes the specific focus of each T&TA Network member.

National Child Welfare Resource Centers

The following are National Child Welfare Resource Centers funded by the Children's Bureau.

• National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement - Offers technical assistance, training, teleconferences, and publications to assist States with the CFSRs, including strategic planning, quality improvement, evaluating outcomes, facilitating stakeholder involvement, and improving training and workforce development.
• National Resource Center for Child Protective Services - Focuses on building State, local, and Tribal capacity through training and technical assistance in CPS, including meeting Federal requirements, strengthening programs, eligibility for the CAPTA grant, support to State Liaison Officers, and collaboration with other NRCs.
• National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues - Offers States assistance with their CFSRs, including collecting and analyzing data, legal and judicial issue analysis, promoting stakeholder involvement, action planning, and implementation of Program Improvement Plans.
• National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning - Provides training and technical assistance and information services to help States through all stages of the CFSRs, emphasizing family-centered principles and practices and helping States build knowledge of foster care issues.
• National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology - Addresses a broad range of program and technical issues (including Tribal and court child welfare issues) in assisting with the CFSR process, including training on data use and management, AFCARS assistance, coordinating peer consultation, and preparation and use of State Data Profiles.
• National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption - Partners with States, Tribes, and other NRCs to offer support in all phases of the CFSR process, including analyzing adoption and permanency options, exploring systemic factors, increasing cultural competence, and promoting stakeholder involvement.
• National Child Welfare Resource Center for Youth Development - Provides States with CFSR assistance, including promoting stakeholder involvement, technical assistance and training, and information services. Also offers States, Tribes, and other youth-serving organizations assistance in effectively implementing the Chafee Foster Care Independence and the Education and Training Voucher programs and supporting youth engagement in child welfare policy, planning, and program development.
• National Resource Center for the Recruitment and Retention of Foster and Adoptive Parents at AdoptUsKids - Provides training and technical assistance to States and Tribes on issues that pertain to the development and implementation of quality recruitment and retention services for foster, adoptive, concurrent, and kinship families.

Information, Training, and Technical Assistance

The following provide information, training, and technical assistance and are funded by the Children's Bureau.

• Child Welfare Information Gateway - Provides access to print and electronic publications, websites, and online databases covering a wide range of child welfare topics, including child abuse prevention, family preservation, foster care, domestic and intercountry adoption, search and reunion, and much more.
• National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect - Facilitates secondary analysis of research data relevant to the study of child abuse and neglect. The Archive maintains numerous databases including the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS).
• National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Child Welfare Systems of Care Grantees - Provides training and technical assistance and evaluation to recipients of funds from the Children's Bureau for the Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care demonstration initiative. The Center develops resources and provides technical assistance that supports the grantees' efforts to improve outcomes for children, youth, and families.
• Technical Assistance to State Legislators on the Child and Family Services Reviews - Through this initiative, the Children’s Bureau seeks to educate State legislators about, and engage them in, the Child and Family Services Reviews and other child welfare reform efforts. This initiative also is designed to assist State child welfare agencies in developing strategies for communicating with legislators about the CFSRs.
• National Child Welfare Leadership Institute - Provides leadership development training, mentoring, and technical assistance to mid-level managers in public and Tribal child welfare agencies throughout the country. Participation is intended to increase the effectiveness of mid-level managers and to build human capital needed in child welfare agencies in order to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families in those systems.
• National Child Welfare Workforce Institute – Builds the capacity of the nation's child welfare workforce to improve outcomes for children and families through activities that support the development of skilled child welfare leaders in public, private, and Tribal child welfare systems.

Quality Improvement Centers

The following Quality Improvement Centers are funded by the Children's Bureau.

• National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System - The purpose of this 5-year project is to determine, through a research design, the impact of nonresident father involvement on child welfare outcomes.
• National Quality Improvement Center on the Privatization of Child Welfare Services - The purpose of this 5-year project is to build knowledge and inform decision-making regarding public/private partnership in child welfare service delivery.
• National Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response in Child Protective Services – The purpose of this 5-year project is to generate knowledge on effective practice models of differential response in child protective systems and support the infrastructure at State and local levels to improve outcomes for children and families referred for suspected maltreatment.
• National Quality Improvement Center on Early Childhood - The purpose of this 5-year project is to generate and disseminate robust evidence and new knowledge about program and systems strategies that contribute to child maltreatment prevention and optimal child development.

Statutorily Mandated Programs/Services to Grantees

The following were established to support statutorily mandated programs and provide services to grantees and are funded by the Children's Bureau.

• National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center - Works to enhance the quality of social and health services delivered to children who are abandoned or at risk of abandonment due to the presence of drugs and/or HIV in the family.
• National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention - Offers knowledge and expertise in the implementation of family support strategies in a variety of settings and for many purposes. Provides CFSR assistance, including building networks, collecting data, and promoting stakeholder involvement.

Implementation Centers

The Children's Bureau funds five regionally based Implementation Centers.

• National Implementation Centers – The Children's Bureau established the Implementation Centers to expand the T&TA Network and enhance its ability to provide indepth and long-term consultation and support to States and Tribes. The Implementation Centers focus on implementation of strategies to achieve sustainable, systemic change that results in greater safety, permanency, and well-being for children, youth, and families.

Co-Sponsored National Resource Center

The National Resource Center listed below is co-sponsored by the Children's Bureau and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

• National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare - Works to develop knowledge and provide technical assistance to Federal, State, and local agencies and Tribes to improve outcomes for families with substance use disorders in the child welfare and family court systems.

Funded by Intra-Agency Agreement

The Intra-Agency Agreement between the Administration for Children and Families and the Center for Mental Health Services sponsors the following programs.

• National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health - Dedicated to helping States, Tribes, territories, and communities build systems that improve access to quality care and improve outcomes for children with, or at-risk of, emotional disorders, and their families.
• Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health – Provides technical assistance to systems of care communities funded by the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families program to effectively meet the mental health needs of children and youth with serious emotional challenges.

Other Related Links

• Understanding and Complying With Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and The Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994, as amended by The Interethnic Adoption Provisions (IEP) - (PDF - 389 KB) or (PPT - 514 KB)



• Understanding Substance Use Disorders, Treatment and Family Recovery: A Guide for Child Welfare Professionals - This tutorial will provide a primer on alcohol and drug addiction, substance abuse treatment and recovery, enhancing treatment readiness and treatment effectiveness, as well as discuss cross-system communication and collaboration, as well as provide contact information for other national resources.



• CFSP/APSR Toolkit - This toolkit is designed to create a central location for all technical assistance documents and materials, as well as references to specific laws, policies, and checklists that relate to the development of the State and Tribal Child and Family Service Plan (CFSP)/Annual Progress and Services Report (APSR).