First Focus on Children sent the following letter signed by members of the National Home Visiting Coalition to provide insight into the barriers to timely and robust implementation of in-home parent skill-based programs, also known as home visiting, through the Family First Prevention Services Act (Family First).
Excerpt from the letter:
Thank you again for the additional guidance offered by the Children’s Bureau in the Dear Colleague letter of February 28. This level of detail and clarity is extremely helpful to state child welfare agencies, as well as to the home visiting programs who work with them. We believe that, with the right guidance to and support for state child welfare agencies, Family First can fulfill its promise as a paradigmatic shift that will emphasize prevention and the strengthening of families. Removing barriers to funding home visiting services through Family First will facilitate the transformational change envisioned in the legislation and make the promise of Family First real for more children and their families.