'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.

This episode is part of a series featuring the work of Tribal Court Improvement Program grantees. Listeners will hear examples of Tribal courts partnering with families and enabling families to shape how they use Tribal child welfare and support services for rehabilitation and reunification. "Being Family Centered" shares stories from Tribal court and child welfare staff from the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, Taos Pueblo of New Mexico, and the Sitka Tribe of Alaska.

This episode, 'Overcoming Challenges to Working With States', is part of a series featuring the work of Tribal Court Improvement Program grantees. The episode shares examples of Tribal court and Tribal child welfare agencies navigating legal and jurisdictional challenges from the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, told by Tribal social services court staff, respectively. Some of the topics discussed include: Ensuring States and Tribes understand the full relevance and application of ICWA The importance of establishing a child welfare compact between Tribes and States How instituting mandatory communication channels keep Tribal social service and court staff engaged with Tribal families and ensure State counterparts of Tribal services and supports that may be available

This episode, 'Building Relationships With State Counterparts', is part of a series featuring the work of Tribal Court Improvement Program grantees. The episode features successful examples from the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and Saint Regis MohawkTribes, told by Tribal social service and court leadership. Some of the topics discussed include the following: What a statewide survey told Alaska's Office of Children's Services about their relationships with Tribes How Tribal social services can be a resource for States to understand ICWA and serve as expert witnesses The benefits of agencies and court officers participating in joint training

'Foster Care: A Path to Reunification – Part 2' explores all the partnerships, training, and coordination within San Diego County's Children's Services. Listeners will learn about trauma-informed assessment tools, the collaboration with a county-based community college to support training, as well as listen to birth families and older youth as they share their experiences to enhance resource families' ability to support the children in their care.

'Foster Care: A Path to Reunification – Part 1' shares the work of the Center for Family Life, an organization that aims to stabilize families by providing an array of neighborhood-based family and social services in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Foster care is one of their programs, and families involved in the center's foster care program are linked to other services to address the family's specific needs. As a neighborhood-based organization, they also work to ensure children in foster care can continue to attend their current schools and maintain their social and family connections, where appropriate.

'Partnering With Tribal Social Services' shares the stories from three Tribes strengthening their partnerships with their Tribal social services departments and agencies. This episode is part of a series featuring the work of Tribal Court Improvement Program grantees. The episode features the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, and Taos Pueblo of New Mexico. Some specific tools for successful partnerships discussed during this episode include the following: Developing effective processes and communication Including other departments in training that benefits court and social services staff Being a very good chef!

'Revising Your Children's Code' features the challenges faced and methods used by two different Tribal courts in reviewing and updating their court's Children's Code. This episode is part of a series featuring the work of Tribal Court Improvement Program grantees. The episode showcases the experiences of the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and Taos Pueblo of New Mexico, told by chief Tribal court judges.

'Housing's Critical Connection to Child Welfare' — Part 2 continues a conversation exploring how the San Francisco Human Services Agency partnered with the San Francisco Housing Authority and the Homeless Prenatal Program to help families obtain vouchers and locate affordable housing in the Bay Area. Part 1 demonstrated how child welfare and housing specialists partner to identify families, support their case plan, navigate the housing system, obtain Family Unification Program vouchers, and work with landlords.

'Adapting to Child Welfare Cases', is part of a series featuring the work of Tribal Court Improvement Program grantees. The episode shares the stories and perspectives from the Saint Regis Mohawk and Mashpee Wampanoag Tribes, told by a chief judge and chief of the Tribe's Elders Judiciary Committee, respectively.