Strategic Plan 2023-2028

The 2023-2028 plan identifies specifical goals and objectives that define the vision for our priorities and way of work, as well as measurable strategies to guide our specific activities and decision-making. Further, it incorporates our expanded emphasis on the workforce, while maintaining our position as a research-based Institute.

Goals and Objectives

GOAL 1

Remain a data-driven and objective advisor on child welfare related policies and practices

OBJECTIVE 1.1 | Provide consistent processes for the rendering of data-informed recommendations and decision making

™ STRATEGY 1.1.1 | Include recommendations for policy, practice, and future research or evaluation, as appropriate, in each major report that are reflective of the strength of evidence.

™ STRATEGY 1.1.2 | Convene or attend follow-up meetings with partners included in Institute-based recommendations within three months of project completion to promote shared understanding of findings and next steps.

™ STRATEGY 1.1.3 | Provide quarterly updates to Legislative staff on major initiatives, including recommendations made within the most recent reporting period.

OBJECTIVE 1.2 | Curate comprehensive evidence to inform program, policy, and research decisions

™ STRATEGY 1.2.1 | Conduct robust exploration of extant evidence, supplementing with primary data collection as needed, to inform sound decision-making regarding the initiation of new Institute projects and continuous quality improvement.

™ STRATEGY 1.2.2 | Consider data from a variety of sources, to include peer-reviewed academic literature, grey literature, lived experience, and other types of feedback.

™ STRATEGY 1.2.3 | Fund competitively solicited, novel research and evaluation with high translational potential.

™ STRATEGY 1.2.4 | Establish an annual workforce survey to remain empirically attuned to the experiences of the workforce, and to promote voices from the field, at all levels of practice.

OBJECTIVE 1.3 | Maintain methodological fidelity of all research and program implementation

™ STRATEGY 1.3.1 | Develop logic models for all major initiatives and use models to communicate programs to the public and inform evaluation efforts.

™ STRATEGY 1.3.2 | Include process components in program evaluation efforts to understand implementation.

™ STRATEGY 1.3.3 | Embed data collection points in all major initiatives to be used for continuous quality improvement between formal evaluation periods.

Goal 2

OBJECTIVE 2.1 | Establish implementation science as the guiding process for Institute program development

™ STRATEGY 2.1.1 | Ensure all Institute staff have a clear understanding of the components of implementation science and how its utilization leads to programmatic practices that are high-quality, supported by evidence, and sustainable.

™ STRATEGY 2.1.2 | Provide clear guidance on Institute expectations in relation to the utilization of implementation science phases.

™ STRATEGY 2.1.3 | Develop a proposal template for potential partners that clearly captures a documented need for the innovation and all elements of the implementation phases.

OBJECTIVE 2.2 | Use strategic communication and outreach to increase Institute engagement with child welfare partners and build support for high quality evidence-informed programs

™ STRATEGY 2.2.1 | Create aligned messaging for Institute initiatives by engaging internal and external partners.

™ STRATEGY 2.2.2 | Increase community participation and interdisciplinary partnerships through Institute staff participation in external activities relevant to our mission.

™ STRATEGY 2.2.3 | Develop and leverage the role of the Institute’s affiliate network and GROW Center Advisory Committee as Institute representatives.

™ STRATEGY 2.2.4 | Collaborate internally between departments to develop targeted messaging using each department’s expertise.

™ STRATEGY 2.2.5 | Use data-driven communications strategies to define and ensure we are meeting our multiple diverse audiences’ needs and engage in strategic communication planning at the program and project levels to reinforce the Institute mission.

OBJECTIVE 2.3 | Cultivate legislative partnerships toward collaborative, iterative policy development

™ STRATEGY 2.3.1 | Provide quarterly updates on our work to legislative staff.

™ STRATEGY 2.3.2 | Create direct lines of communication between legislative staff and Institute leadership to promote bidirectional information sharing between formal updates.

™ STRATEGY 2.3.3 | Develop summaries or white papers of recent or significant Institute work and recommendations, to share with relevant legislative committees for consideration prior to Session each year.

OBJECTIVE 3.1 | Model capacity-building and sustainability through the professional development and well-being of Institute team members

™ STRATEGY 3.1.1 | Establish and utilize a budget for the professional development of Institute staff toward increasing their capacity to fulfill their current role and grow in their careers.

™ STRATEGY 3.1.2 | Create and maintain a calendar of regularly scheduled activities to promote staff development and well-being, taking unique needs of specific positions into account.

™ STRATEGY 3.1.3 | Cultivate ongoing leadership and supervision skill-building opportunities.

™ STRATEGY 3.1.4 | Cultivate management and supervisory training for Institute upper and middle management positions with oversight responsibilities.

™ STRATEGY 3.1.5 | Honor the unique identities, strengths, and needs of Institute staff and support them within a trauma-responsive culture.

OBJECTIVE 3.2 | Commit to adaptability and community-responsiveness in all activities based on best available evidence

™ STRATEGY 3.2.1 | Seek opportunities to collaborate with FSU entities to exchange mutually beneficial expertise within our shared purview.

™ STRATEGY 3.2.2 | Prioritize collaborative responsiveness to partners’ emergent needs.

™ STRATEGY 3.2.3 | Tailor interventions to be informed by and inclusive of community context.

OBJECTIVE 3.3 | Elevate the use of technology throughout the Institute’s operations, engagement, and child welfare workforce initiatives

™ STRATEGY 3.3.1 | Maintain up-to-date hybrid onboarding materials and programming to support Institute team members as they learn about the Institute’s vision, mission, and initiatives.

™ STRATEGY 3.3.2 | Leverage technology to meet the unique needs and demands in the state of Florida and the child welfare workforce by creating networking and programmatic offerings that prioritize the use of virtual and digital tools to ensure equitable access and utilization opportunities.

™ STRATEGY 3.3.3 | Strategically capture and engage diverse, niche, and marginalized audiences with pointed messages that are accessible and cater to user experience.

™ STRATEGY 3.3.4 | Develop, analyze, and optimize communication materials across a climate of diverse platforms.