New CEBC Rating
Overview
The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse (CEBC)—housed under the Chadwick Center for Children and Families at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego—evaluates available research on the scope and effectiveness of care models relevant to the child welfare system on behalf of the California Department of Social Services. The CEBC considers the volume, rigor, and outcomes of studies, assigning a rating from 1 (a practice with the strongest research evidence) to 5 (a concerning practice) for each relevant model focus area. Policymakers and funders consider the CEBC to be an authoritative voice on the effectiveness of child welfare interventions. For example, CEBC ratings are cited as decision
criteria for model selection in many states’ Title IV-E Prevention Plans to divert children from entering the foster care system, a component of the national Families First Preventive Services Act (FFPSA). Models with the CEBC highest rating are automatically approved for funding! Beyond the FFPSA, local, state, and federal programs will continue to look to CEBC for guidance as they consider how to allocate funding.
In early 2026, the CEBC upgraded CPP’s research base rating to ‘1 – Well Supported by Research Evidence,’ meaning that the evidence base supporting CPP is strong enough to merit the highest rung of available child welfare interventions for infant and early childhood mental health, with ‘high relevance’ for child welfare systems.*
Being rated Level 1 means that there is substantial, high-quality evidence that CPP outperforms comparison conditions to improve early childhood mental health. Multiple rigorous studies show that CPP leads to long-lasting improvements in child mental health symptoms and caregiver-child relationship quality. Additionally, the label of ‘high-relevancy’ for child welfare indicates that CPP offers valuable, compatible care to the agencies and families in these systems. Together, these ratings are a testament to the power and viability of investment in CPP.
If you are a supporter of CPP (practitioner, trainer, agency leader, state champion, etc.), we urge you to carry this message to the decision-makers in your system!
Social media post
We’ve leveled up! Rigorous research upgrades CPP’s evidence rating to ‘Well Supported by Research Evidence,’ with ‘high relevance’ for child welfare. [link to the CPP profile on CEBC site, the CPP CEBC update (this page), or the CPP research page]
@[user], did you know that the CEBC upgraded CPP’s rating to ‘Well Supported by Research Evidence’, with a ‘high relevance’ for child welfare settings? For CW-involved families with young children, CPP is one of the most well-established models for healing what matters most: the relationship between child and caregiver.
Letter to legislator/policymaker
Dear [recipient],
Families and children we work with teach us that young children (even babies) are very sensitive to stress in their environments. Very stressful or scary experiences can teach young children unspoken lessons that then affect their development and their behavior, but they can recover with the support of parents and other caregivers. Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) is the most well-established intervention for treating trauma in infants and toddlers, according to a 2026 annual research review. CPP was rated as ‘Well Supported by Evidence’, with ‘high relevance’ for child welfare and is highly praised by both clinicians and families in the child welfare system.
We currently provide to [number of CPP cases] families but regularly have to turn away many children who could benefit from our program because we don’t have enough trained clinicians to meet the need.
I urge you to [specific policy action]. This action would allow us to train an additional [number of new clinicians] therapists to provide CPP and would go a long way in helping us to ensure that every child welfare-involved child has access to age-appropriate trauma treatment.
Would you be willing to [specific policy action]? Would you ask your legislative colleagues to also support this initiative?
*In addition to these new ratings, CPP maintained its rating of ‘2 – Supported by Research Evidence’ for two model focus areas: 1) services for victims of domestic violence and their children, and 2) client-level trauma treatments.