This compilation of briefs highlights the importance of collecting and using quality data and information so child welfare agencies and their partners can assess and routinely monitor statewide functioning of systemic factors. The compilation suggests sources of relevant information and data that child welfare agencies and their partners can investigate to explore the systemic factor federal requirement in their efforts to demonstrate the statewide functioning of each systemic factor. It also provides states with questions about areas related to a systemic factor that may be worth further consideration but extend beyond what is required under the CFSR regulation. This resource also provides questions to ensure that states consider how their systems identify and address racial inequities, and include the voices of parents, children, and youth from underserved and marginalized communities.
Companion resources are available through the Capacity Building Center for States. The Center’s Systemic Factor Data Planning Worksheets help state teams think through how to demonstrate systemic factor functioning, document existing data and information sources, consider gaps in evidence, and identify additional data needs to answer the core questions required within the Statewide Assessment. These fillable worksheets are part of the Center’s CFSR Round 4 Planning and Implementation Tools.