An overview of Safe Babies, a program of ZERO TO THREE, which works to keep families together by preventing the need for babies and toddlers to enter out-of-home care, or for further involvement in the child welfare system. 

A visual representation of the innovative, team-based Safe Babies approach, which is guided by five areas of focus, with the needs of babies and their parents at the center. 

An overview of the innovative, team-based Safe Babies approach, which applies the science of early childhood development to meet the urgent needs of babies and toddlers under court jurisdiction. 

The Site Roadmap is the framework we use to build a strong foundation for Safe Babies implementation at local sites. The roadmap and corresponding technical assistance (TA) activities are set up to help local communities think strategically and drive their time and resources toward the next best steps in achieving their program goals and aligning with their state’s Infant Toddler Court Program.

The State Roadmap is the framework we use to build a strong foundation for statewide Safe Babies implementation and expansion. The roadmap and corresponding technical assistance (TA) activities are set up to help states think strategically and drive their time and resources toward the next best steps in achieving their program goals.

This document is intended to support teams in discussing and developing a process of reflective case review that is meaningful at the local level. It makes sense to use a tailored approach because each community has diverse membership and a range of assets and needs. Therefore, the following document includes some considerations to explore with your team members as you develop a case review strategy for your site.

Learn about the history and current work of Safe Babies in tribal communities.

Effective and high-quality legal representation for parents, children, and the child welfare agency is essential to ensuring due process, protecting parties’ rights, and supporting family health and well-being. The tool describes the key functions and specific activities of attorneys representing child welfare agencies, children, and parents.

Child welfare plays a critical role in providing direct oversight and helping families navigate changes, with an intentional and consistent focus on children’s needs. Shifts in child welfare practice toward a holistic view of the family can impact direct family engagement and, ultimately, system practice and policy changes — driving alignment across supportive family systems. The role of child welfare leadership in the Safe Babies approach is critical to making such shifts happen.

The State Advisory Group brings state partners together across sectors to improve equitable access to a comprehensive continuum of promotion, prevention, early intervention, and therapeutic services and supports for families with very young children. This work can be thought of as building an integrated and aligned “early childhood system” through state and community-based collaborations and public-private partnerships to reach all children and families with needed services and supports.

The Active Community Team brings community partners together to improve equitable access to comprehensive prevention, early intervention, and therapeutic services and supports for families with very young children.  

The Community Coordinator is a unique role in the Safe Babies approach. This role promotes best practices in family engagement, promoting protective factors, trauma-responsive care, and cross-sector collaboration through the Active Community Team and Family Team Meetings. They are also a key member of the Site Implementation Team, which provides the necessary leadership and oversight for effective implementation and sustainability of the Safe Babies approach in the community.           

Family Team Meetings engage families in collaborative proactive planning that puts young children’s developmental needs for safe, stable, and nurturing early caregiving relationships, as well as the individualized needs of each family member, at the center of decision-making. 

Judges are uniquely positioned, both in and out of court, to create a collaborative, solution-finding atmosphere in court and to work with community partners to address gaps in services and supports for young children and their families.

The Site Implementation Team is a coordinated group of experts with diverse perspectives and levels of authority to ensure that the system is supporting, rather than creating challenges for, the frontline professionals implementing the Safe Babies approach and the families they serve.