Acknowledgments

This work has been shaped significantly by the ongoing dedication of a group of individuals with lived experience—they have been and will continue to be partners in this effort.

These documents have benefited from feedback from over 220 people from across the country that were brought together by our national association partners listed below. Their contributions have helped shape the material above and their feedback will further integrated after the Convening.

• American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare
• American Public Human Services Association
• Black Administrators in Child Welfare
• Child Welfare League of America
• National Indian Child Welfare Association
• The Hispanic Institute at Child Trends

The work groups will finish reviewing the comments that the national associations compiled after the convening, but the research agenda has already been refined significantly.

In summary...

The research agenda is a work in progress. It contains a large array of research gaps that need to be addressed to inform a 21^st Century system to support children and their families. In addition to the need to engage other systems and non-traditional partners, the report also provides initial recommendations for how research can evolve to achieve such an ambitious agenda.

We share this as a starting place – a research agenda to be refined and updated over time. We are confident that with the proper research funding, many of these knowledge gaps can be addressed over the next several years.