30 Days to Family®
30 Days to Family® is a short-term intervention that aims to place children with a family member (i.e., “a relative caregiver”) within 30 days of entering foster care and help ensure the children and relative caregivers have support available. 30 Days to Family is typically implemented by child welfare agencies, but any agency involved with child welfare can implement the program including foster care case management agencies and non-profits. 30 Days to Family Specialists strive to (1) identify family members from all sides of the child’s family and then (2) partner with family members to create a support plan that relies heavily on the child’s natural connections.
Services are initiated after the child is removed from the home. Within the initial 24 hours, the Specialist identifies all parents, grandparents, siblings and sibling caregivers, aunts and uncles, and any other key individuals identified by the family. Within the first week, Specialists aim to identify, map out, and contact individuals from at least four generations of the child’s family tree (through the child’s great grandparents). Throughout services, the Specialist attends court hearings and child welfare meetings, engages with family members, learns about the child’s needs, and seeks to collaboratively assess and support the family placement options. Depending on the child’s age, the Specialist may also meet with them to gain their perspective on their family and identify potential caregivers and supporters. Specialists then talk with each family member to explain the program and the child’s situation to help determine the best way for that family member to be involved. For any family members interested in caring for the child, the Specialist will promptly complete background checks, home visits, and safety assessments. The Specialist also seeks to provide the potential relative caregiver with a comprehensive understanding of the child’s needs, including the status of their physical and mental health, educational situation, sources of well-being, and ways to minimize trauma.
After the child is placed with the relative caregiver, the Specialist creates a detailed “Roadmap to Family” document that outlines the support system and is thoroughly reviewed with the relative caregiver at the time the placement is made. The “Roadmap to Family” includes both community resources for the child’s needs (e.g., food assistance programs, mental health services) and details of the family members who can provide support through transportation, childcare, financial assistance, emotional support, and other types of involvement. Further, the Specialist aims to identify as many backup family placement options as possible, with the goal of ensuring that the child remains in the care of relatives.
30 Days to Family is rated as a well-supported practice because at least two studies with non-overlapping samples carried out in usual care or practice settings achieved a rating of moderate or high on design and execution and demonstrated favorable effects in a target outcome domain. At least one of the studies demonstrated a sustained favorable effect of at least 12 months beyond the end of treatment on at least one target outcome.
Date Last Reviewed (Handbook Version 1.0): Mar 2024
Sources
The following sources informed the program or service description, target population, and program or service delivery and implementation information: the program or service manual, the program or service developer’s website, the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare, and the studies reviewed.
This information does not necessarily represent the views of the program or service developers. For more information on how this program or service was reviewed, download the Handbook of Standards and Procedures, Version 1.0
Target Population
30 Days to Family is designed to serve families with children ages 0–17 who are involved in the child welfare system and are being placed out-of-home.
Dosage
Specialists handle two cases at a time and aim to contact all of the child’s adult family members within the first week of services. Specialists conduct visits to each potential caregiver’s home for an average of 3 hours per visit. Within 30 days, the program aims to place children with a family member and identify at least two backup placement options within the family. Following placement, Specialists will follow up with the child’s case manager or caregiver via phone or email at 2 weeks and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.
Location/Delivery Setting
Recommended Locations/Delivery Settings
Specialists typically deliver 30 Days to Family in a child welfare agency and in the homes of potential caregivers.
Location/Delivery Settings Observed in the Research
- Home
- County Child Welfare Offices
Education, Certifications and Training
Specialists must have a bachelor’s degree in social services or a related field. Specialists must also have at least one year of experience in child welfare, although three years of experience is preferred. Specialists should also have experience in caregiver training and assessment, as well as experience working with interdisciplinary teams. Although Specialists are not required to participate in a formal training, 30 Days to Family does provide on-site technical assistance for new Specialists within 48–72 hours of their first case and weekly phone consultations with a Supervisor for the first 2–9 months.
Supervisors must have a bachelor’s degree in social services or a related field, and at least three years of experience in child welfare. Supervisors should also have experience in resource parent training and assessment, and as well as experience working with interdisciplinary teams.
Agencies implementing 30 Days to Family must first participate in a 3-day training to learn about the program model and best practices for implementation. Replicating agencies are also expected to establish connections with community resources to support families. This may include strengthening pre-existing relationships with service providers in the government and community and formalizing new public-private partnerships in letters of agreement. Additionally, all implementing agencies participate in ongoing collaboration on implementation with the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition, regular site visits, data and outcome tracking, and site participation in mutual learning opportunities.
Program or Service Documentation
Book/Manual/Available documentation used for review
The Institute for Child Welfare Innovation. (2020). 30 Days to Family® replication manual.
Available languages
30 Days to Family materials are available in English.
Other supporting materials
30 Days to Family® Logic Model
For More Information
Website: https://forchildwelfare.org/30-days-to-family/
Phone: (314) 367-8373
Email: patrick@forchildwelfare.org
Note: The details on Dosage; Location; Education, Certifications, and Training; Other Supporting Materials; and For More Information sections above are provided to website users for informational purposes only. This information is not exhaustive and may be subject to change.
| Results of Search and Review | Number of Studies Identified and Reviewed for 30 Days to Family® |
|---|---|
| Identified in Search | 2 |
| Eligible for Review | 2 |
| Rated High | 0 |
| Rated Moderate | 2 |
| Rated Low | 0 |
| Reviewed Only for Risk of Harm | 0 |
| Outcome | Effect Size
 and Implied Percentile Effect
|
N of Studies (Findings) | N of Participants | Summary of Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child permanency: Least restrictive placement |
0.41
15 |
2 (18) | 1259 |
Favorable:
17 No Effect: 1 Unfavorable: 0 |
Note: For the effect sizes and implied percentile effects reported in the table, a positive number favors the intervention group and a negative number favors the comparison group.
| Outcome | Effect Size
and Implied Percentile Effect
|
N of Studies (Findings) | N of Participants | Summary of Findings |
Months after treatment when outcome measured
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child permanency: Least restrictive placement |
0.41
15 |
2 (18) | 1259 |
Favorable:
17 No Effect: 1 Unfavorable: 0 |
- |
| Study 15127 - 30 Days to Family vs. Services As Usual (Atkinson, 2019) | |||||
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.15
6 |
- | 540 | - | 0 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.38
*
14 |
- | 540 | - | 1 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.54
*
20 |
- | 540 | - | 2 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.57
*
21 |
- | 540 | - | 3 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.49
*
18 |
- | 540 | - | 7 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.50
*
19 |
- | 540 | - | 11 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.44
*
16 |
- | 540 | - | 17 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.45
*
17 |
- | 540 | - | 23 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.47
*
18 |
- | 540 | - | 29 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.48
*
18 |
- | 540 | - | 35 |
| Study 15128 - 30 Days to Family vs. Services As Usual (Atkinson, 2023) | |||||
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.53
*
20 |
- | 719 | - | 0 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.28
*
10 |
- | 719 | - | 1 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.29
*
11 |
- | 719 | - | 2 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.26
*
10 |
- | 719 | - | 3 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.28
*
10 |
- | 719 | - | 7 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.27
*
10 |
- | 719 | - | 11 |
| Placed With Kin (Cumulative Findings) |
0.27
*
10 |
- | 719 | - | 17 |
| Ever Placed in Congregate Care Setting During Foster Care Placement |
0.67
*
24 |
- | 719 | - | 17 |
*p <.05
Note: For the effect sizes and implied percentile effects reported in the table, a positive number favors the intervention group and a negative number favors the comparison group. Effect sizes and implied percentile effects were calculated by the Prevention Services Clearinghouse as described in the Handbook of Standards and Procedures, Version 1.0, Section 5.10.4 and may not align with effect sizes reported in individual publications. The Prevention Services Clearinghouse uses information reported in study documents and, when necessary, information provided by authors in response to author queries to assign study ratings and calculate effect sizes and statistical significance (see Section 7.3.2 in the Handbook of Standards and Procedures, Version 1.0). As a result, the effect sizes and statistical significance reported in the table may not align with the estimates as they are reported in study documents.
Only publications with eligible contrasts that met design and execution standards are included in the individual study findings table.
Full citations for the studies shown in the table are available in the "Studies Reviewed" section.
The participant characteristics display is an initial version. We encourage those interested in providing feedback to send suggestions to preventionservices@abtglobal.com.
The table below displays locations, the year, and participant demographics for studies that received moderate or high ratings on design and execution and that reported the information. Participant characteristics for studies with more than one intervention versus comparison group pair that received moderate or high ratings are shown separately in the table. Please note, the information presented here uses terminology directly from the study documents, when available. Studies that received moderate or high ratings on design and execution that did not include relevant participant demographic information would not be represented in this table.
For more information on how Clearinghouse reviewers record the information in the table, please see our Resource Guide on Study Participant Characteristics and Settings.
| Characteristics of the Participants in the Studies with Moderate or High Ratings | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Study Location
|
Study Year
|
Age or Grade-level
|
Race, Ethnicity, Nationality
|
Gender
|
Populations of Interest*
|
Household Socioeconomic Status
|
| Study 15127 - 30 Days to Family vs. Services As Usual | ||||||
| Characteristics of the Children and Youth | ||||||
| Missouri, USA | 2011 | Average age: 6 years; 36% age 0-2 years, 15% age 3-5 years, 21% age 6-10 years, 16% age 11-14 years, 11% age 15+ years |
68% Black/African American 27% White 5% Unable to Determine 0.2% Asian |
51% Male 49% Female |
100% Children placed in foster care; Reason for removal: 42% Neglect, 26% Physical abuse, 11% Sexual abuse; 25% Disability present - any identified; 9% Disability present - emotional |
-- |
| Study 15128 - 30 Days to Family vs. Services As Usual | ||||||
| Characteristics of the Children and Youth | ||||||
| Ohio, USA | -- | Average age: 6.0 years; 32% age 0-2 years, 20% age 3-5 years, 23% age 6-10 years, 16% age 11-14 years, 8% age 15+ years |
51% White 35% Black/African American 13% Multi-race 1% Unable to Determine 0% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0% Asian 0% American Indian/Alaskan Native |
53% Male 47% Female |
100% in foster care; Reason for removal: 34% Neglect, 15% Physical abuse, 6% Sexual abuse; Average prior removals: 1.1 removals; 24% Disability present - any identified, 13% Disability present - emotional/mental health, 12% Disability present - health/prenatal/birth |
-- |
“--” indicates information not reported in the study.
* The information about disabilities is based on initial coding. For more information on how the Clearinghouse recorded disability information for the initial release, please see our Resource Guide on Study Participant Characteristics and Settings. The Clearinghouse is currently seeking consultation from experts, including those with lived experience, and input from the public to enhance and improve the display.
Note: Citations for the documents associated with each 5-digit study number shown in the table can be found in the “Studies Reviewed” section below. Study settings and participant demographics are recorded for all studies that received moderate or high ratings on design and execution and that reported the information. Studies that did not report any information about setting or participant demographics are not displayed. For more information on how participant characteristics are recorded, please see our Resource Guide on Study Participant Characteristics and Settings.
Studies Rated Moderate
Study 15127Atkinson, 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. (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
This study was conducted in a usual care or practice setting (Handbook Section 6.2.2)Study 15128
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
This study was conducted in a usual care or practice setting (Handbook Section 6.2.2)