The Institute for Child Welfare Innovation

Program Overview

The Institute for Child Welfare Innovation was born from the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition, a St. Louis-based organization dedicated to finding permanent homes for children in foster care. Building on the success of their 30 Days to Family® program, which effectively placed children with families and brought stability while saving costs for the state, the Coalition gained national recognition. As other agencies expressed interest in replicating the program, the Institute was established to share expertise and support government and non-government organizations in implementing and expanding programs that improve the lives of children, families, and communities.

In addition to our consultancy services, we offer Training for Adoption Competency (a model created by C.A.S.E.) and contract with the Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) Institute to offer DDP trainings in the St. Louis area. Our trainings cater to both families and professionals, equipping them with essential knowledge and skills.

A core principle of the Institute is the elimination of systemic racism and inequality. We envision a world in which the decision to involve the families of children in care is not rooted in racial bias. We actively support child-serving agencies in scaling proven solutions, fostering collaboration, and bridging policy and practice gaps.

Overall, the Institute for Child Welfare Innovation is dedicated to driving positive change in the field of child welfare, empowering professionals, and creating a brighter future for children and families in need.

Eligibility

  • 30 Days to Family® Program Replication
    •  State and local agencies looking to obtain powerful tools to ensure more children in foster care can live with family members.
  • Family Search & Engagement Training and Coaching
    • Open to all who are interested in discovering more family members for children in foster care, building rapport with family members once they’re found, and providing support and resources to ensure placement stability.
  • DDP Level 1
    • This course is for professionals and therapists who have experience communicating with and working therapeutically with children, young people, and their families.
  • DDP Level 2
    • This training is open to clinical psychologists, social workers, parent mentors, therapists, and other practitioners who have completed the four-day, DDP Level 1 training.
  • TAC
    1. Master’s degree (or higher) in social work, a counseling field, or other related discipline with a current professional license or under clinical supervision in preparation for professional licensing. This means that the professional meets at least one of the following criteria:
      • Is clinically licensed and is working in a clinical capacity with adoptive families in either an agency specializing in work with adoptive families or in private practice or community mental health setting serving adoptive families on a regular basis.
      • Is under clinical supervision in preparation for clinical licensing and is working in a clinical capacity with adoptive families in an agency specializing in work with adoptive families or in private practice or community mental health setting serving adoptive families on a regular basis.
    2. Master’s Level Professionals (or higher) in social work, a counseling field, or other related disciplines who do not hold a clinical license but whose work involves interface with members of the adoption kinship network so that he/she is able to incorporate learning into practice.

What to Expect

Organizations looking to replicate 30 Days: 

The Institute employs a stage-based implementation process to ensure a successful rollout of the 30 Days to Family® program within your agency or organization. The first step is Exploration, where we, along with the agency, take a deep dive into agency culture, jurisdictional nuances, and current practices to identify next steps to ensure the program’s success. During the Installation Phase, the Institute assists the agency with hiring the 30 Days to Family® team, training the team, engaging with stakeholders, and developing internal and external processes for a smooth launch of the program. And during the Program Launch phase, when Specialists begin services on their first case, the Institute staff travels to the agency to work side by side with the Specialist for the first 1-3 days of a case. After this initial visit, the Institute provides daily consultation calls for the first case, then slowly tapers down the support for subsequent cases. The Institute conducts quarterly site visits and fidelity monitoring and will provide additional support and training as needed.   

Family Search & Engagement Trainings:

Our team brings years of experience to the table to provide trainings that are innovative, evidence-based, and engaging. We will work with you to develop a customized training and support plan that is tailored to your specific needs. Our costing is completely flexible, as our #1 priority is getting the content to those who need it.  

Training for Adoption Competency (TAC):

The Institute is proud to be partnering with the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition to facilitate TAC for Professionals in the St. Louis area! Created by the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) in 2009, The Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) is a comprehensive, evidence-informed post-Master’s training program for mental health professionals that is available nationwide. TAC is the most rigorously evaluated competency-based training curriculum available; it earns consistently high ratings of quality and relevance. TAC students master knowledge, values and skills in 18 domains critical to adoption-competent mental health services.

Dyadic Developmental Practice and Psychotherapy (DDP):   

Dyadic Developmental Practice and Psychotherapy (DDP) is a training provided to the St. Louis Community that provides psychological interventions and parenting approaches for children and adolescents who have experienced developmental trauma and have attachment difficulties. There are two levels of the four-day training that is developed by Dan Hughes. Level one training is an introductory 28-hour training focused on families and residential care homes when children have attachment difficulties. Level two allows participants to gain an even deeper understanding of the theory and the opportunity to explore their attachment history, which may have an impact on their work.

Program Goals

Our primary goal at the Institute is to promote logical, effective, and healing child welfare services. We challenge the status quo by providing families and organizations with valuable skills and expertise. Through extensive research and organization, we have compiled a comprehensive set of tools, techniques, and resources that professionals can utilize to search for families, engage with youth and families, and create stable and successful family environments. We prioritize the following objectives:

  1. Replicating 30 Days to Family®: Our main goals include identifying a minimum of 80 relatives or kin in each case, placing 70% of children with relatives or kin within 30 days, and securing at least one relative/kin placement option with 1-2 backup options in each case. By implementing this program, we equip state and local agencies with powerful tools to ensure more children in foster care can live with family members. Through a rigorous search process, we accelerate the identification and engagement of relatives, facilitating greater sibling connections and involvement with paternal relatives. Ultimately, we strive to find stable homes with family for children within 30 days, promoting better outcomes for children, families, and our communities.
  2. Family Search & Engagement Trainings: Our trainings address the challenges of finding extended family members beyond immediate relatives and building rapport with them. We provide frameworks, tips, and tricks to enhance confidence and refine approaches. Whether a child is on the brink of entering the foster care system or has been in it for some time, we believe they deserve meaningful connections with their family. We work collaboratively with professionals to ensure this happens by offering comprehensive support and resources to families in need.

In addition to these goals, we also offer Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) through the Center for Adoption Support & Education (C.A.S.E.) and Dyadic Developmental Practice and Psychotherapy (DDP). TAC aims to enhance adoption competency within mental health communities nationwide, facilitating better access to adoption-competent professionals and improving the well-being of adopted children, youth, and their families. DDP strives to empower parents with essential skills to effectively nurture children and adolescents who have endured developmental trauma and face challenges in forming secure attachments.

The Institute Inquiry Form