Maternal & Child Section: Family Home Visiting Unit
Home Visiting Program Design: Elements of Effective Home Visiting Programs
Listed below are components which research has demonstrated to improve the effectiveness of any home visiting model.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1
Voluntary: Parents who are voluntarily involved are more receptive to services.
Family focused and Strengths Based: Effective programs respond to the unique needs of each individual family, build on family
strengths and work to empower parents.
Respect for diversity: Families are more likely to engage in services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. Effective
programs value diversity. Quality programs recognize and appreciate the cultural bases of parenting and avoid stereotyping.
Connection to other community services: Effective programs collaborate and coordinate with other community services to
ensure that families are receiving all the services they need.
Targeted: Scarce resources are most effectively utilized when services are targeted to those families with the greatest need.
Begin early: Effective programs begin services as early as possible, optimally prenatally.
Intensive: Interventions that are frequent and occur over a long period of time have more significant and sustained effects.
Long term: Optimally, services continue until child is at least 2 years old.
Promote preventative health care: Effective programs support and encourage families to utilize preventative health care and
connect with a primary health care provider.
Promote delay of subsequent pregnancies: Effective programs support and encourage participants to delay subsequent
pregnancies when appropriate.
Limited caseloads: Home visitors with limited caseload are better able to meet the needs of their clients. Caseload limitations
will vary with program purpose and focus.
Carefully recruited and well-trained staff: Effective programs employ well-trained staff. Program staff is selected based on their
2
education, work, and life experiences, as well as their ability to communicate and establish trusting relationships .
Ongoing supervision: Effective programs provide staff with continuous, high quality supervision.
Are theory driven: Effective programs are based on strong scientific theory and target relevant risk and protective factors that
3
have been shown to impact the healthy development of young children.
Have clearly defined goals and objectives which home visitors know how to reach: Effective programs have goals which meet
the needs of the families served and influence what home visitors do in the home. Goals also guide the type of training and
ongoing supervision home visitors receive. Understanding goals and objectives helps home visitors plan activities for visits and
tells families what they may gain from participating in the program.
Evaluation and Continuous Quality Improvement (QI): Effective programs determine evaluation and QI processes early and use
data to determine if program is being implemented as designed, extent to which goals and objectives are being met and areas
which may need refinement.
Created by the Minnesota Department of Health/Community & Family Health Division/Maternal & Child Health Section/
Family Home Visiting Unit, P.O. Box 64882, St. Paul, MN 55164, Phone: 651-201-3760, Fax: 651-201-3590.
Posted: August 2014. If you require this document in another format, such as large print, Braille or audio recording,
call: 651-201-3760.
1
Adapted from: Gomby, D., Larson, C. S., Lewit, E. M. & Behrman, R. E. (1993). Home Visiting: Analysis and Recommendations. Future of Children, 3
(3), 6 - 22. Retrieved from website September 22, 2009:
Oregon, Commission on Children and Families,
2
Powers, S & Fenichel, E. (1999). Zero to Three, Home Visiting: Reaching Babies and Families “Where They Live”, A report of the best available
information from 20 years of research and practice on home visiting. Based upon the work of Deborah Daro, PhD., Chapin Hall Center for Children,
University of Chicago.
3
Small, S. (2009) Evidence-Informed Program Improvement: Using principles of effectiveness to enhance the quality and impact of youth and family
programs. Iowa State Webinar Retrieved from website May 14, 2010.