This report highlights the successes and challenges of community-based home visiting models across the country, and proposes state and federal policy and funding recommendations that would improve families’ access to resources.
Home visiting connects expectant parents, new caregivers, and their young children with a support person, called a home visitor. The home visitor meets regularly with the family, develops a relationship with them, and supports them to achieve their goals and meet their needs.
To reach the thousands of additional families who could benefit from home visiting, we must increase support for culturally relevant and family-centered models. A new report — “Community-Based Home Visiting: Fidelity to Families, Commitment to Outcomes” — delves into the unique strengths and challenges of community-based home visiting models, whose design and measures of success intentionally center the perspectives of the families and communities they serve. These models are often developed by those with experience with the unique cultures, strengths, and solutions of the community they live in and aim to serve.
This report summarizes themes from listening sessions with 30+ community-based home visiting models from across the country. It offers policy and funding recommendations that would improve support for these models and therefore families’ access to home visiting that best meets their goals.
Key Findings/Components:
- Family-Centered Design Yields Continuous Quality Improvement
- Research, Data, and Outcomes Must Be More Effectively and Inclusively Defined
- Reclaiming Culture and Advancing Language Access Improve Family Experiences and Outcomes
- Flexibility Is Necessary to Serve the Community and Enhance Outcomes
- Structural Barriers to Funding Impact Sustainability and Accessibility