As IFPS (Homebuilders® model) celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, it’s appropriate to ask if IFPS is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago.
Let’s compare IFPS today with past years:
| Then | Now |
| Washington State was the first to implement IFPS Homebuilders® (1974)IFPS had been implemented in at least 75% of counties in 6 states (1994) | IFPS has been implemented statewide in 12 states with implementation underway in two additional states (2014) |
| IFPS Homebuilders® served 54 families (1974)IFPS programs in 16 states serve 16,229 families (1994) | Exemplary IFPS programs in 12 states serve 11,542 families (2014) |
| There was only one state with a Homebuilders® program (1974)Most states follow the Homebuilders® model (1994) | Strong IFPS states follow the Homebuilders® model (2014) |
| IFPS (Homebuilders® model) saves $2.54 for every dollar invested (2006) | IFPS (Homebuilders® model) saves $4.49 for every dollar invested (2013) |
| There is no definitive research on which models of IFPS are most effective | Research shows that only the Homebuilders® model of IFPS has demonstrated effectiveness |
| The supervisor’s role is critically important for training therapists, modeling best practice, and case consultation | The supervisor’s role is critically important for training therapists, modeling best practice, case consultation, and quality assurance |
| Low caseloads, availability to families 24/7, high number of face-to-face hours with families, and short-term services are hallmarks of IFPS | Low caseloads, availability to families 24/7, high number of face-to-face hours with families, and short-term services are hallmarks of IFPS |
| IFPS emphasizes evidence-based practice | IFPS (Homebuilders® model) is a proven, evidence-based practice listed on registries of EBPs |
| IFPS includes the provision of concrete services (rent, utilities, car repair, etc.) | IFPS includes the provision of concrete services, and studies show that concrete services contribute to the effectiveness of IFPS |
| Families are colleagues | Families are colleagues, family strengths are assessed, and all in-home services have adopted this philosophy |
| Safety of children is the highest priority | Safety of children is the highest priority, and there are only a few documented deaths during IFPS interventions over the past decades |
| IFPS is an innovative service, focused on the family as a whole, and aimed at keeping families safely together instead of rescuing children | IFPS continues to focus on the family as a whole and keeping families safely together. IFPS is now an enduring, evidence-based practice whose values, standards, methods of engaging families, model fidelity, and quality assurance are widely imitated by child- and family-serving agencies |
Posted by Charlotte Booth, Executive Director, Institute for Family Development