This guide is a companion to the Strategy & Measurement Core Elements course, created to support thoughtful reflection and meaningful discussion. It is intended to help teams clarify their purpose, learn together, and strengthen how they serve children and families.
People enter child welfare work because they care deeply. We want to help, and we hope our efforts will make a real difference. But once we begin, we realize how complicated the challenges are: poverty, stress, legal issues, health, and many other layers. This can leave us unsure whether our efforts truly matter. Strategy and measurement help us move from trying harder to actually knowing what helps children and families thrive.
• What motivated you to get involved in this work?
• When have you felt unsure whether your efforts made a difference?
• What would help bring more clarity to your day-today efforts?
Monitoring & Evaluating is a process of planning and measuring the impact of our programs.
Measurement simply means paying attention to what is working and what is not. Instead of guessing based on a few success stories, we look at patterns across many families. This helps us avoid wasting time, energy, or money on things that do not create real change. Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) gives us tools to plan ahead, track progress, and adjust our work so we can serve children and families better.
• How does your team currently decide whether a program is “working”?
• What gets in the way of measuring things well?
The M&E chain helps us see how our efforts lead to change over time. It starts with what we do (activities), then what we produce (outputs), short-term change (outcomes), and long-term change (impact). This simple map helps everyone understand how daily work connects to meaningful results for children and families.
• Which part of the chain (activities, outcomes, impact) do you talk about most? Least?
• How could this chain help your team stay focused?
Indicators are measurements that show whether something is changing. Outcomes describe short-term improvements, such as families getting connected to services. Impact is the big, long-term change, such as more children thriving in safe family care. Impact is harder to measure and takes longer to show, but it guides all our planning. Numbers do not tell the whole story, so we pair them with real-life stories to understand what is truly working.
• Which changes can you measure right now? Which feels harder to measure?
• Why is it important to look at both numbers and stories?
• How could clearer indicators reduce frustration or uncertainty in your work?
A Theory of Change is a one-page map that answers:
• What problem are we trying to solve?
• Who are we serving?
• What approaches will we use?
• What changes do we expect to see?
• What long-term difference do we want to make? It keeps us from getting distracted by every need around us. As Tim’s story shows, without focus we can burn out, add more programs than we can sustain, or drift away from what we do best.
• If you had to choose one central problem your program exists to solve, what is it?
• Who is your main audience, and who is outside your scope?
• Where do you see signs of trying to do everything?
The Logic Model takes your big-picture Theory of Change and breaks it down into a clear plan for the year. It lists your objectives, the activities you will do, the short-term results you expect, and who is responsible for each part. It helps everyone know what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how success will be tracked. For organizations with multiple sites, each location can have its own Logic Model while sharing a common overall Theory of Change.
• Where does your team currently feel unclear about who owns what?
• What difference would it make to have one clear, shared plan?
Quarterly Goals keep big plans from sitting on a shelf. By breaking annual goals into smaller steps, your team can track progress, adjust quickly, and stay accountable. These goals also give encouragement, because every quarter offers a fresh start and a chance to celebrate progress.
• How would quarterly goals help your team stay on track?
• How could quarterly goals reduce stress by clarifying expectations?
Reviewing your progress each quarter helps you learn what is working and what needs adjusting. These meetings do not have to be long. They just need to be consistent. By keeping things simple and honest, your team can avoid repeating mistakes, celebrate victories, and improve over time. The goal is not perfection. It is growth.
• What would help your team review progress more consistently?
• How can you make these meetings positive rather than stressful?
• What would learning, not blaming, look like in your context?
Sharing data does not have to be complicated. When we combine numbers with real stories, people understand what is happening and why it matters. Data storytelling helps donors, churches, leaders, and community members see how their support makes a difference. It is not about impressing people. It is about clear communication, honesty, and connection. Simple visuals, clear language, and meaningful stories help people join in the mission with greater understanding and heart.
• What makes data hard or easy to understand in your organization?
• Which stories could help bring your numbers to life?
• What’s one way you could improve how you share results with others?
This course is part of CAFO’s Core Elements of Success program, which provides a clear roadmap to improving outcomes for vulnerable children through evidence-based training on key aspects of quality care.
Drawing from global best practices and enriched by insights from NGOs, field experts, and experienced leaders, each course equips you with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to provide quality care for vulnerable children and families. Topics range from child protection and confidentiality to board governance and fiscal accountability—giving you the resources to implement best practices across every aspect of your organization, ensuring your efforts lead to meaningful, positive outcomes.
If you're committed to achieving measurable results—rather than just hoping for positive outcomes—and need actionable strategies and tools to improve your program, the Core Elements of Success program is for you.
CAFO’s Core Elements of Success: Simplified care improvement, designed for you.