Tools

Self-assessments, check lists, printable summaries or diagnostic tools, and other help available for users of the site:

Strategy Tools

General Strategies

• Strategy Selection Tool: Criteria for selecting strategies to achieve the results identified for the jurisdiction.
• Policymaker Tools: Issue briefs for governors and state legislators to help carry out their responsibilities effectively in the current economic climate.

State Budget/Stimulus

• Stimulus Package Guide: Stimulating the economy through a two-generation approach, an online guide.  

Juvenile Justice 

• Juvenile Detention Forecasting Tool:  Urban institute’s calculator for forecasting future juvenile detention population.

Family Economic Success 

• Budget Calculator: A tool to calculate family budgets developed by the economic policy institute.
• Data Finder: An online resource for state-by-state demographic and administrative data on a number of services for low income families from clasp.
• Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Resources: Provides resources and technical assistance to state and local organizations to implement policies and programs that help low-income families achieve economic self-sufficiency.
• Family Resource Simulator: Online simulator illustrates the impact of “work supports", earned income tax credits and child care assistance.
• Eitc Interactive : An interactive tool sh ows how proposed expansions to the eitc would benefit taxpayers in individual states, metropolitan areas and selected cities around the nation, developed by brookings institute.
• Food Stamp Tool Kit:  Numerous resources for elected officials, from outreach ideas to a sample op-ed to press releases, developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
• Food Stamp Job Training Program: Guidance from the USDA.
• Scorecard: Assets and opportunity scorecard, state-by-state policies and and performance from CFED.  
• Work Supports: Policy and practice guidance from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

Early Childhood 

• Early Childhood system Self-Assessment: A tool developed by the National Governor's Association .
• Child Care Subsidies:  A tool for policymakers to examine current child care subsidy policies and identify those needed to promote stable, qualilty child care for low-income babies and toddlers.

Child Welfare

• Practices and Policies Addressing Racial Equity: An online guide for agency administrators to reduce racial disparities in the child welfare system.
• A Scan of State Legislative Actions to address racial disparities in child welfare: This guide provides information about all the states that have legislatively required actions to reduce or eliminate racial inequities. (amended june 2010)
• Funding Permanency Services. A new guide from the Annie E. Casey Foundation for child welfare administrators and budget directors on leveraging federal, state and local dollars.  
• Child Welfare Policy Guide. A comprehensive online guide to state child welfare policies.  

Financing Tools

• Quick Tips for Policymakers:  Tips to maximize federal funding.
• Financing Assessment T ools :  A self-assessment tool for various financing strategies, developed by the  Fiscal Policy Studies Institute.
• Budgeting Checklist: A guide and checklist for maximizing federal funding, returns on investment and reinvestment opportunities.
• Budgeting  Questions: A tool for assessing budgeting decisions based on demonstrated results and performance.
• Results Accountability Budgeting: Tools for budgeting using a results-based approach to budgeting.
• Setting Budget Priorities: Tools for setting priorities during the budgeting process.
• Funding Permanency Services. A new guide from the Annie E. Casey Foundation for Child Welfare administrators and budget directors on leveraging federal, state and local dollars.  

Accountability Tools 

• A Statewide Accountability System :  Virginia Performs, created by the Council on Virginia’s Future, is a performance leadership and accountability system .
• Executive Branch Self Assessment: A self assessment tool for Governors and advisors to monitor the implementation of strategies.
• Executive Branch Score Sheet:  A score sheet for Governors to quantify the successful implementation of strategies.
• Legislative Hearing Template: A results accountability format  template developed and implemented by the Appropriations Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly.
• Legislative Hearing Agency Performance Questions: Performance accountability questions for legislators to use during hearings, developed by the Fiscal Policy Studies Institute.
• Legislative Hearing Agency Results Questions:  Results accountability questions  a results-focused monitoring tool for legislators to use during hearings, developed by the  Fiscal Policy Studies Institute.
• 11 Things A Legislator Can Do: Guidelines   for holding a results-focused hearing, developed by the Fiscal Policy Studies Institute.
• Results Scorecard: A scorecard  assesses performance by aligning indicators of community well-being and performance measures, developed by the Results Leadership Group.  

Other Tools and Resources

• Results-based Public Policy  slides .