Bring Best Practices to Professionals in Your State Improving Outcomes helps individuals or groups develop ways to share best practice information in their states. The range of possible ways to share best practices is endless. The approaches can range from simply posting some documents on a website to starting a project that can grow into a comprehensive one-stop source for a wide array of resources and communication services. Even One Person Can Start a Statewide Initiative Impassioned individuals can make a difference in their states. Even an individual judge or attorney can begin a movement in a state to effectively share information, expertise, and resources. Also, various types of organizations are capable of coordinating this kind of effort, including court systems, nonprofit organizations, children’s law centers, law school clinics, child advocacy centers, child welfare boards, or professional associations, among others. Connect with Those Who Can Help Those aspiring to create or improve their methods for distributing best practice information can now connect with those who have successfully implemented resource-sharing systems in their states. By joining the Improving Outcomes Network, you can learn what others have done, the methods that were most successful, and the challenges others have encountered and how they overcame them. You can also participate in national discussions on topics such as: Methods to tap into the expertise of top practitioners in your state and make it available to others statewide; Ways for colleagues or multidisciplinary groups to communicate statewide using existing, free, internet tools; Effective ways to share best practices online; Innovative ideas on making the most of your existing live training opportunities; What others are doing to promote collaboration between the courts and child welfare agencies; How to measure the effectiveness of your efforts. Free Consulting Expertise Texas Lawyers for Children (“TLC”) offers free assistance to others by discussing options for sharing best practice information in their states, types of resources to share, tools to use, and strategies for implementation. TLC also demonstrates various approaches currently in use by other states. TLC is available via telephone at (800) 993- 5TLC (5852) or by email at TexasLawyersforChildren@yahoo.com. TLC is also available to visit a limited number of states annually at no charge. Examples from Some States Several states and organizations around the country have implemented online methods for sharing information and tools designed to improve the handling of child abuse cases in their states, including the Children’s Law Center of the University of South Carolina and KidsCounsel of the University of Connecticut Law School. Texas has a state of the art, widely-used online resource center with best practice information that also includes communication tools and a pro bono network at www.TexasLawyersforChildren.org. California's Administrative Office of the Courts has also implemented a similar online center, the California Dependency Online Guide, based on the proven model in Texas. Click here to learn more about online centers. Potential Funding Sources Funding for resource-sharing systems can come from federal grants, such as the Children’s Justice Act Project (“CJA”) and the Court Improvement Program (“CIP”), private foundations, or state agencies.