Additional Reports

The Administration on Children, Youth and Families

The Administration on Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued an information memorandum in February, 2020, on Family Time for children and youth in out-of-home care. It reported that a growing body of research associates regular, meaningful family time for children in out-of-home care with positive outcomes, including: enhanced parental engagement; greater likelihood of reunification; expedited permanency; increased chances of reunification being sustained; more meaningful connections to parents for older youth without reunification as permanency goal; and improved emotional well-being for parents and children. Furthermore, the ACF memorandum indicated that children participating in more frequent and/or regular time with parents exhibit improved child well-being, stronger attachments to their parents, fewer behavioral problems, including both internalizing and externalizing problems, lower levels of depression and better adjustment. The ACF memorandum described Visit Coaching/Family Time Coaching in San Diego as an innovative approach, although the findings of the NCCD research were released shortly before the document and were not cited. The federal memorandum urged all child welfare agencies to ensure “strong and effective family time practice” including higher levels of parent engagement and support for family strengths.

2017 Survey

A 2017 survey of 21 Visit Coaching/Family Time Coaching programs found that parents and visit coaches described positive experiences with coached visits. View Survey →

California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare

The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare included Visit Coaching/Family Time Coaching, receiving a high rating for relevance to child welfare but in 2016 no peer-reviewed studies. The CEBC will announce a new rating for Visit Coaching, based on the two peer-reviewed studies above.

Children’s Bureau Express (CBX)

The March 2020 edition of CBX (the online newsletter for the federal Children’s Bureau) focuses on the importance of establishing meaningful family time for families with children in out-of-home care. View the Newsletter →