The Outcomes of Family to Family

States participating in the Family to Family Initiative are asked to commit themselves to achieving the following outcomes:

1. A reduction in the number of children served in institutional and congregate care.

2. A shift of resources from congregate and institutional care to family foster care and family-centered services across all child and family-serving systems.

3. A decrease in the lengths of stay in out-of-home placement.

4. An increase in the number of planned reunifications.

5. A decrease in the number of re-entries into care.

6. A reduction in the number of placement moves experienced by children in care.

7. An increase in the number of siblings placed together.

8. A reduction in the total number of children served away from their own families.
   

In sum, Family to Family is not a pilot, nor a fad, nor the latest new "model" for child welfare work. Rather, it is a set of value-driven principles that guide a tested group of strategies that, in turn, are implemented by a practical set of tools for everyday use by administrators, managers, field workers, and families.

Adapted from Annie E. Casey Foundation's Tools for Rebuilding Foster Care.