This article from the Chronicle of Social Change describes the establishment of a new organization in the U.S. aimed at helping to replicate the 30 Days to Family program, an intense, short-term intervention to place children with relatives within a month of entering foster care. The organization, the Institute for Child Welfare Innovation, has been founded by Ian Forber-Pratt, a child welfare advocate who, among other efforts, helped pass legislation that built a national foster care program in India.
"The Institute for Child Welfare Innovation will provide 'subject matter expertise to government and non-governmental entities interested in replicating and scaling programs that positively impact children’s lives,' including the 30 Days to Family program," says the article. The 30 Days to Family model focuses on finding connections for children starting at the very first court hearing when they enter foster care and has been found to have a 71 percent placement rate with relatives. The program has also been shown to reduce the number of days children spend in foster care and lead to greater likelihood of reunification and greater involvement in extracurricular activities for youth. The study also notes cost savings to states of up to $10,217 per child served.