The International RBI Certification Institute
The Routines-Based Interview is a semi-structured interview about the family’s day-to-day life, focusing on the child’s engagement, independence, and social relationships. Its purposes are to create a strong relationship with the family, to obtain a rich and thick description of child and family functioning, and to result in a family-chosen list of functional and family outcomes/goals. The International RBI Certification Institute is an intensive week-long training consisting of practice with real families, follow-up activities, engagement with resources and materials, and certification. This matters beyond the individual family: the RBM framework organizes information around Engagement, Independence, and Social Relationships (EISR), which maps directly onto the three federal Child Outcomes Summary (COS) areas states must report on annually. A well-conducted RBI naturally surfaces the information teams need to generate accurate COS ratings.
Purpose
The purpose of the Routines-Based Interview (RBI) International Certification Institute is to prepare a cadre of certified interviewers who can conduct high-quality, family-centered RBIs that lead directly to functional, participation-based outcomes for children and their families. The RBI is a cornerstone practice of the Routines-Based Model, and its quality shapes everything after. The IFSP goals that are written, the services that are delivered, and the extent to which families feel heard and equipped in their daily routines to support their children and family.
Internationally Certified RBI interviewers will have demonstrated the ability to lead a full RBI with fidelity, write functional participation-based goals, and support the implementation of the RBI within their own program, district, or state system.
Many states currently struggle to generate accurate, well-supported COS ratings for federal reporting (SPP/APR Indicators 3A/C) — often because their IFSP forms ask about the three outcome areas without connecting those questions back to the interview process that actually generates the information. The RBI, combined with training on coding EISR information into the three federal outcome categories, gives programs and states a concrete, replicable process for closing that gap.
For more information, click here.
For questions please email: stevenson.camistevenson.cami@gmail.com
Who Should Apply
Applicants must also attest that they will have access to a family for a live RBI practice interview on their assigned day during the institute week. Ideally, this is a family with a child who has a special need; at a minimum, the family should have a child under age 5. The family does not need to be a current client of the applicant’s program. The specific day will be confirmed once the institute schedule is finalized.
By the end of the Institute, participants will be able to:
- Lead a Routines-Based Interview (RBI) with a family, using open-ended questioning to gather information across daily routines, focusing on engagement, independence, and social relationships.
- From the RBI write functional, participation-based IFSP goals
- Construct an ecomap that reflects a family’s formal and informal supports
- Provide constructive, evidence-based feedback to a peer conducting an RBI using the RBI checklist
- Assist with an RBI by taking accurate RBI notes during the interview
- Explain the rationale for the Routines-Based Model (0–3) or Routines-Based Interview to colleagues and families
- Develop an implementation plan for introducing and scaling RBI practice within their own program, district, or state, including training timelines, strategies from implementation science, and approaches for building staff commitment
- Demonstrate readiness for certification by passing the RBI competency test
- Translate RBI findings, organized by Engagement, Independence, and Social Relationships, into the three federal Child Outcomes Summary (COS) categories, supporting accurate state-level reporting
Course Delivery
Components of the RBI Certification Institute include
- Families available to interview
- Two concentrations: planning for children birth-3 years of age and 3-5 years of age
- Feedback from multiple certified RBI instructors (coaches) throughout the week to prepare participants for their final competency exam and interview before certification
- Follow-up assignments ensure competence before certification
Pre-Institute Activities
Selected participants will need to complete a few tasks to prepare for the Institute:
- Identify a family to join them at the institute for a 2-hour block of time; Need help explaining what they are volunteering for? Click here.
- Identify families with whom to practice the RBI after the Institute;
- Read the articles or chapters that will be emailed;
Post-Institute Activities
- To become certified as an International Routines-Based Interview Trainer, participants will need to complete and pass a competency exam within 1 month of the close of the Institute (date to be determined).
- After the exam, participants will need to practice interviewing and video-record an interview (max. 2 hours) and mail it to the instructors, along with the resulting ecomap, RBI notes, and IFSP/IEP outcomes, within 6 months (date to be determined).
- We will assess the quality of the interview and IFSP/IEP outcomes and issue certification to those meeting the competency-based quality standards via the RBI checklist.
*No videos will be copied or returned. They are considered the property of the Institute and are used for training purposes only.
Schedule
- The face-to-face portion of the Institute will be five days (Monday through Friday)
- Post-Institute activities are required for certification.
- Training will occur from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm PT / 9:00 am to 4:00 pm MT / 10:00 am to 5:00 pm CT, / 11:00 am to 6:00 pm ET, for all five days, with time on the first day (Monday) devoted to an introduction to the RBI and to the Institute, and time on the last day (Friday) devoted to final issues regarding the implementation of interviewing and training.
- Attendance of all five days is mandatory for certification.
Cost includes:
- Expert instruction in a small group (only selected key participants are admitted to the RBI Certification Institute); for half the Institute, you will be in a group of three participants;
- Opportunities to practice with real families;
- Individualized feedback;
- Materials for your use when training others;
- Post-Institute review of taped interview;
- Assessment;
- Certification;
- CEUs for education ONLY (any/all other CEUs needed, selected participant(s) MUST obtain on their own).
Applications
Timelines:
- Applications due March 1st 2027.
- Applicant selection and notification by January 2027 and on an ongoing basis. Alternates will be selected in case any selected applicants are unable to attend.
- $300 nonrefundable deposit due by April 1st, 2027 (selected applicants only).
- Full payment is due on the first day of the institute, April 26th, 2027
Selection Priority
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. While all qualified applicants are welcome and encouraged to apply, priority may be given to those who demonstrate:
- Opportunity to support others to conduct RBIs
- Opportunity to demonstrate competence in the role
- Familiarity with recommended practices in early intervention
- Knowledge of child development
- Representation from a range of states, territories, and countries
If you’re missing one or two of these, please apply anyway. These are factors we consider when balancing a strong, diverse cohort — not a checklist every applicant must fully meet.
Resources for applicants:
RBI Institute Justification Letter
APPLY HERE
If you participate in our international institute, you can submit your certificate of completion to redeem university graduate-level professional development semester credits!
This gives you the opportunity to advance on the salary scale and renew credentials by participating in our learning opportunities.
Learn more about receiving these credits from our partner, Courses4Teachers, via the University of the Pacific.
Contact Course4Teachers with your questions at courses4teachers@courses4teachers.net.