The Art of Home Visiting
Building Capabilities through
Relationships, Reflection &
Responsiveness
Elita Amini Virmani, PhD
Director, PITC Home Visiting Institutes
Co-Director, Parent Involvement Project
WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
What motivates
you?
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
Reflection activity
•
•
Turn to the person next to you &
introduce yourself
Share with your partner: What
motivates you to work with or on behalf
of families and children?
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
Science tells us that it is never too late
to help adults build up their core
capabilities, and that we can have a
life-long impact if adults support the
development of these skills in
childhood.
-Jack Shonkoff
WestEd.org
If we want to produce dramatic
impacts on the outcomes for kids
experiencing toxic stress, we have to
transform the lives of the adults who
are taking care of them.
-Jack Shonkoff
WestEd.org
Road Map
• What do we know about infants and parents?
• What are core capabilities in adults and
children that set them up for life success?
• The critical role of the home visitor
• Home visitor skills & strategies
• PITC Home Visiting Key Principles: Relationships,
Reflection & Responsiveness
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
What do we know about infants?
 They come into the world
ready to learn
 Their brains gets ’wired’
through “serve and return”
interactions
 They develop expectations of
others based on interactions
with those who care for them
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
What do we know about parents?
 They play a significant role in their
child’s life
 They have developed “lenses”
through which they see the world
 They learn in and through
relationships
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
How do we improve the lives of
parents and children?
Build parent
core
capabilities
Improve
child
outcomes
Adapted from Frontiers of Innovation. Center of the Developing Child,
Harvard University.
WestEd.org
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/building-adultcapabilities-to-improve-child-outcomes-a-theory-of-change/
WestEd.org
What are the core capabilities in
adults and children to set them up for
life success?
 Ability to develop and maintain positive
relationships with others
 Executive function (paying attention, planning
ahead, goal-setting, problem-solving) & selfregulation (ability to resist impulses, wait, delay
gratification)
 Sense of efficacy & control
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
Two-generation approach
Core
Capabilities
Parent
•
•
•
Child
Positive Relationships
Executive Function &
Self-Regulation
Sense of Efficacy &
Control
Positive Adult & Child Outcomes
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
The Role of the Home Visitor
“Historically in parent education programs, the parent
educators are the experts in children’s development.
In contrast, the home visitor is an empathic listener,
consultant, resource, guide, advocate, and partner.”
(p. 9, Klass, 2008)
CHRISTINE BAKER, The Patriot-News
WestEd.org
Cultivating trust and promoting growth in
the home visitor-parent relationship
 Ask rather than Tell
 Assess rather than Assume
 Acknowledge rather than Accept
Kadija Johnston. © 2011. WestEd, the Program for Infant/Toddler Care.
WestEd.org
Skills & strategies to use at all levels of
the intervention




Active Listening
Descriptive Affirmation
Collaborative Problem-Solving
Sharing Developmental Information
These strategies originated from Klass, C.S. (2008). The home visitor’s guidebook: Promoting
optimal parent and child development, 3rd Edition. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
Active
Listening
Descriptive
Affirmation
SupervisorHome
Visitor
Core
Capabilities
Collaborativ
e ProblemSolving
Parentchild
Home
visitorparent
Sharing of
Developmenta
l Information
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
PITC Home Visiting: Key Principles
Relationships
Responsiveness
Reflection
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
Relationships
 Relationships as
central to our work
with families
 Relationships influence
relationships
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
Reflection
 Taking time to step back
and wonder how your
own feelings and
reactions influence your
work with a family
 Helping parents step
back and wonder about
their interactions with
their baby
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
Responsiveness
 Cultural humility
 Understanding child
development
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
Guiding Principles
 Relationships

Supervisor-Home Visitor

Home Visitor-Parent

Parent-Child
 Reflection

Professional and personal
 Responsiveness


Respecting each family’s uniqueness
Facilitating parent understanding of
many facets of child development
Developed by Elita Amini Virmani © 2017 WestEd. This document may be reproduced for educational purposes. WestEd.org
How you are is as
important as what
you do
- Jeree Pawl
WestEd.org
Home visiting is about holding
HOPE that things can and do
change from one generation to
the next with persistence and
great care.
-
Elita Amini Virmani, Director, PITC Home Visiting Institutes,
WestEd, Center for Child and Family Studies
WestEd.org