Purpose of Implementation Projects

Guided by key values and mission driven, implementation projects are intended to foster changes in organizational culture, administration, and direct practice with children and families. Implementation projects pursue systemic change within a child welfare system and across multiple systems that are integral to successful child welfare practice. WPIC provides coordinated, individualized, and intensive technical assistance to implement change strategies in partnership with State and Tribal child welfare administrators.

Implementation Projects:

• Embody a set of values and principles as the foundation for creating a more effective system;
• Involve families and youth as full partners in the design, implementation and evaluation;
• Engage other child- and family- serving agencies and organizational partners as integral to the systems change;
• Promote systems change that is culturally and linguistically competent and addresses disparities; and
• Be feasible and sustainable over time.

Sites selected for Implementation Projects receive intensive, individualized, multi-faceted technical assistance that is outcome-oriented. Access to technical assistance resources and support will be available for a minimum of 24 months.

Working with States, Territories, and Tribes to Co-Design the Technical Assistance Approach

The Center recognizes that states, territories, and tribes vary in geographic size, the needs of families engaged with child welfare, and their child welfare agency structures. They also differ significantly in their strengths and challenges and are at very different stages in identifying, designing, and implementing needed systems changes. Consequently, the scope, intensity, and duration of Implementation Projects vary.

States, territories, and tribes  have a key role in defining and designing their technical assistance relationship with Center staff. Technical assistance is based on the existing strengths and the realities facing states, territories, and tribes with recognitionof the different levels of readiness, capacity, and commitment of leaders and staff in moving toward systems change. Sites  provide feedback on the various technical assistance activities to  evaluate its effectiveness.

Benefits of Implementation Projects

Implementation Projects offer states, territories, and tribes opportunities to look at their whole child welfare system, prioritize areas for reform, and design processes to implement desired changes. Implementation Projects support counties, states, territories, and tribes to:

• Analyze strengths and needs;
• Align vision and values with systems infrastructure, policy, and practice; and
• Act in strategic ways to realize improved outcomes for children and families. Implementation Projects also offer the opportunity to strategically bring together various, and sometimes disparate, reform initiatives into a consistent “big-picture” vision and plan for systems change.

Opportunities for Peer Networking

Each Implementation Project site has the opportunity to collaborate with peer jurisdictions that have successfully addressed a similar challenge. This peer mentoring will provide support, strategic thinking, and recommendations on policy and practice approaches. Peer mentoring also assists sites in accessing consultants and experts in particular topic areas.