Tool Released to Help CYSHCN Leaders Assess State Capacity

September 14, 2009

Examining State Capacity for Achieving a Community-Based Service System for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) is a tool designed to help CYSHCN leaders assess a state's capacity to implement community-based service systems. The tool, created by Champions for Inclusive Communities (ChampionsInC), is structured around the six performance measures for CYSHCN articulated in the Title V Block Grant. For each measure, a team of state stakeholders can identify (1) who are the needed partners at the state level; (2) what state-level policies and practices should be in place to achieve the outcomes; (3) how states can support community policies and practices; and (4) what are some data sources or ways to measure achievements for children, youth, and families. Resources for obtaining training and technical assistance related to performance outcomes are provided at the end of the document. The tool is available here.