This brief from the Capacity Building Center for States, a collaborative funded by the Children’s Bureau, offers guidelines to child welfare agencies on how to shift from being a child-focused welfare system to a youth-focused welfare system. A child-focused system is considered reactive and case-plan driven while a youth-focused system is more proactive, developmentally framed, and normalcy oriented.  This brief outlines the transformations needed at the organization and practice levels to better meet the needs of youth in foster care.