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30 Days to Family®

Topic Areas
Scientific Rating
Child Welfare Relevance
Permanency Enhancement Interventions for Adolescents
3  — Promising Research Evidence
High

About This Program

Target Population: Children ages 0-17 who have just entered or re-entered foster care and their families

For children/adolescents ages: 0 – 17

Program Overview

30 Days to Family® is an intense and short-term intervention that aims to place children with safe and appropriate relatives within 30 days of entering foster care. This program aims to meet mandates which require states to identify and provide notice of the child entering foster care to all grandparents and other adult relatives within 30 days of the child entering state custody. The concentrated efforts and low caseloads of 30 Days to Family® is designed to make placement with relatives possible, while also aiming to support the family so placement stability is maintained. 30 Days to Family® utilizes workers with experience in child welfare and a natural ability to locate and engage relatives.

Program Goals

The goals of 30 Days to Family® are:

  • Move into home with a kinship provider within 30 days of starting program
  • Have improved relationships with family members and caregivers

Logic Model

View the Logic Model for 30 Days to Family®.

Essential Components

The essential components of 30 Days to Family® include:

  • Specialists have low caseloads serving 2-3 families at a time.
  • Specialists must be able to utilize online and in-person search tools to locate relatives of youth in care to identify a minimum of 80 relatives per family.
  • Specialists must be able to engage relatives of youth in foster care in person, over the phone, one-on-one, and in group settings.
  • Specialists require an in-depth knowledge of the child welfare system and resource family licensing to assist families through the process.
  • Completion of the proprietary Roadmap to Family is necessary to ensure that the child and the placement provider have the supports necessary to ensure a stable placement. The Roadmap to Family is an essential fidelity tool created specifically for 30 Days to Family. Supports generally include:
    • Family and kin who wish to have a relationship with the youth or support them in some other way, such as through visiting, mentoring, helping with homework, childcare, etc.
    • Formal supports to meet the needs of the youth, including their educational, health, spiritual, extra-curricular, etc. Agencies must provide a flexible working environment for Specialists, since contacting and engaging relatives requires working after regular business hours.

Program Delivery

Child/Adolescent Services

30 Days to Family® directly provides services to children/adolescents and addresses the following:

  • In the child welfare system and recently removed from their homes
Services Involve Family/Support Structures:

This program involves the family or other support systems in the individual's treatment: The 30 Days to Family® Specialist engages multiple relatives and kin to create a support network for the youth and the ultimate placement provider.

Recommended Intensity:

The Specialists in this program meet minimum fidelity requirements of meeting with the youth within the first two days of initiation of services, as well as a minimum of attempting contact with all adult relatives at least once. With that said, the Specialist meets with as many family members as possible, as many times as necessary, to gather the needed information and outline a solid support plan. There are 47 fidelity indicators in six domains of service that reflect rigorous standards and timelines for delivery of specified services and engagement with the child, family, and other service providers.

Recommended Duration:

Approximately 30 days with provisions for extending services and placing case services on hold under prescribed circumstances. Additionally, after kinship placement occurs, there is follow-up with the caregiver 2 weeks after conclusion of services, an in-home follow-up meeting 30 days after conclusion of services to address any identified needs, and subsequent follow-up at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months.

Delivery Setting

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

  • Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider

Homework

This program does not include a homework component.

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

An agency would require the necessary meeting space to accommodate a team of professionals/relatives for a child in foster care. Personnel requirements would include at least one 30 Days to Family Specialist, as well the appropriate supervisory support. Access to the internet to conduct online searches for family members is required. The Specialist would need to be capable of utilizing transportation to visit the homes of relatives and kin of children in foster care. General Microsoft Office programs are also necessary. Genopro is utilized to compile genograms for each case. Each employee requires a dedicated workspace with a computer, phone, cell phone, laptop or tablet that can be used in the field, and access to transportation.

Manuals and Training

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

Those replicating the program should have a minimum of an undergraduate degree in social services or a related field and a minimum of 3 years of experience in child welfare.

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Program Manual(s)

There is a comprehensive Replication Manual that contains detailed information on program purpose, function, and methodology, and is organized around specific fidelity measures to guide implementation. Replicating agencies are provided access to the manuals during the initial stages of the replication process. Additional information about the 30 Days to Family® Replication Manual can be obtained by contacting the training contact below

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact:
Training Type/Location:

Replication Training is generally provided onsite at the replicating agency. Virtual trainings may be available in some circumstances. Additional on-site training/technical assistance is provided at the replicating site as each 30 Days to Family® Specialist begins services on their first case.

Number of days/hours:

3.5 days of formal Replication Training and approximately 1-2 days of training/technical assistance for each Specialist as they begin services on their first case

Implementation Information

Pre-Implementation Materials

There are pre-implementation materials to measure organizational or provider readiness for 30 Days to Family® as listed below:

Replication of the 30 Days to Family® program is based on stage-based implementation science. The first phase is the Exploration Phase, which is outlined in the 30 Days to Family® Exploration Guide. Part of this Exploration Phase includes a Goodness of Fit Assessment, which outlines key considerations and expectations of the program. Agencies are asked to first complete an online assessment, and interactive conversations follow to determine together if 30 Days to Family® is a good fit for replication.

Formal Support for Implementation

There is formal support available for implementation of 30 Days to Family® as listed below:

The Institute for Child Welfare Innovation is charged with overseeing implementation for all new 30 Days to Family® replication sites. The Institute Coach provides intense technical assistance to the 30 Days to Family® team through in person assistance as they begin services on their first case, as well as daily video calls and emails throughout the first case. Assistance is tapered down to 2-3 video calls per week for the second and third cases, then once a week as Specialists demonstrate fidelity to the model. Leadership coaching also takes place through regularly scheduled leadership calls and coaching sessions with the program supervisor/program director. Quarterly site visits are held to provide additional in person support as well as fidelity monitoring.

Fidelity Measures

There are fidelity measures for 30 Days to Family® as listed below:

There are 47 fidelity indicators in six domains of service that reflect rigorous standards and timelines for delivery of specified services. Fidelity is assessed through file reviews, interviews, observations of service, and self-assessments. The Institute for Child Welfare Innovation staff conducts the fidelity review after receiving training. The fidelity measures are not publicly available.

Implementation Guides or Manuals

There are implementation guides or manuals for 30 Days to Family® as listed below:

The program has an Exploration Guide for those agencies interested in exploring if the program would be a good fit for their agency, as well as an Installation Guide that outlines all key processes and necessary steps for a smooth and successful install of the program.

Implementation Cost

There have been studies of the costs of implementing 30 Days to Family® which are listed below:

  • Atkinson, A. J. (2019). 30 Days to Family®: Confirming theoretical and actual outcomes. Child Welfare, 97(4), 97–129. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48623652
  • Atkinson, A. J. (2022). A comparison of child welfare outcomes and cost savings achieved in diverse implementation contexts with 30 Days to Family®️ intervention. Journal of Public Child Welfare. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2022.2026271

Research on How to Implement the Program

Research has been conducted on how to implement 30 Days to Family® as listed below:

  • Atkinson, A. J. (2022). A comparison of child welfare outcomes and cost savings achieved in diverse implementation contexts with 30 Days to Family®️ intervention. Journal of Public Child Welfare. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2022.2026271

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Atkinson, A. J. (2019). 30 Days to Family®: Confirming theoretical and actual outcomes. Child Welfare, 97(4), 97–129. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48623652

Type of Study: Other quasi-experimental
Number of Participants: 540

Population:

  • Age — 0–15+ years
  • Race/Ethnicity — 367 Black, 146 White, and 27 Other
  • Gender — 273 Male and 267 Female
  • Status — Participants were children in the child welfare system.

Location/Institution: Missouri

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to compare outcomes for children who received the 30 Days to Family program with a matched sample of children not served. Measures utilized include data from the Missouri Department of Social Services (MDSS) database. Results indicate that children served were more likely to be placed with kin and spent fewer days in foster care, while those with kin experienced significantly greater placement stability and were less likely to be placed in inpatient treatment settings. Limitations include small sample size, lack of randomization, requirements for anonymity of caregivers interviewed that precluded examination of both child welfare administrative data and status and well-being data from interviews for the same children, and lack of follow-up

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Atkinson, A. J. (2023). A comparison of child welfare outcomes and cost savings achieved in diverse implementation contexts with 30 days to Family® intervention. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 17(2) 305–332. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2022.2026271

Type of Study: Other quasi-experimental
Number of Participants: 1259

Population:

  • Age — Study 1: Served: Mean=6.41 years; Matched: Mean=5.88 years; Study 2: Served: Mean=6.12 years; Matched: Mean=6 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Study 1: Served/Matched: 70%/64% Black/African-American, 25%/30% White, 5%/5% Unable to determine, and 0%/0.4% Asian; Study 2: Served/Matched: 53%/50% White, 33%/37% Black/African American, 13%/13% Multirace, and 1%/0.9% Unable to determine
  • Gender — Study 1: Served: 49% Male, 51% Female; Matched: 53% Male, 47% Female; Study 2: Served: 54% Male, 46% Female; Matched: 51% Male, 49% Female
  • Status — Participants were children in the child welfare system.

Location/Institution: Study 1: Jurisdictions where the 30 Days to Family® model originated; Study 2: Nine counties where services were delivered by program specialists employed by and based in county child welfare offices, and the state policy and practice contexts were not as favorable to kinship care.

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to compare child welfare outcomes and cost savings when 30 Days to Family® was implemented in contrasting policy and practice contexts and at early and mature stages of implementation. Measures utilized include child welfare administrative data. Results indicate that children served, when compared with those eligible but not served, were more likely to be placed with kin, to spend fewer days in foster care, and to experience better permanency outcomes. Those placed with kin, when compared with those not with kin, experienced greater placement stability and fewer placements in treatment settings. Substantial cost savings were demonstrated in both favorable and less-favorable implementation conditions. Limitations include lack of a program cost specification in study #2 where implementation was studied at installation and early stages of implementation, and study #1 relied on employing best estimates from prior cost research and assumptions based on official records - use of actual data in calculations would have enhanced accuracy and reliability of study #1 cost savings data.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Additional References

Dickerson, K. (2021, Feb. 10). 10 years, 1,000 kids: The 30 Days to Family® story. Foster and Adoption Foster Care Coalition Blog. https://www.foster-adopt.org/blog/10-years-1000-kids-the-30-days-to-family-story/

Thorsen, L. (2020, Apr. 20). St. Louis program aims to keep kids out of foster care. And it could spread. St. Louis Post Dispatch. Available with subscription at https://www.stltoday.com/

Contact Information

Melanie Moredock
Title: Chief Operating Officer
Agency/Affiliation: Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition (Program Owners) | The Institute for Child Welfare Innovation (Licensed for Program Replication)
Website: forchildwelfare.org/30-days-to-family
Email:
Phone: (314) 399-9714

Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: July 2023

Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: September 2021

Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: September 2016