Strategic Plan: Home Visitation Strategies

A simple concept, home visitation programs involving nurses, social workers or other professionals who outreach to families are currently used throughout the nation to share a range of information with parents in the place where they feel most comfortable - their homes. Commonly used as a prevention strategy, home visitation often targets families who are considered at-risk or need additional support so their children are healthy and safe. 

Currently, about 70 different home visitation models are used throughout the nation, servicing close to 500,000 children and families. Popular home visitation models include:

• Healthy Families America
• Nurse Family Partnership
• Parents as Teachers
• Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)
• Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP)

The practice of home visitation is gaining momentum in the public sector as research continues to show that families who receive home visits have enhanced parent-child interactions; have better birth outcomes if participating during pregnancy; and more efficiently use health care and community services. It is predicted that federal funding for home visitation will increase to total more than $8.3 billion by 2019.

Deborah Daro, a home visitation expert, associate professor and research fellow at the University of Chicago, recently visited First 5 LA to share information about home visitation with Commissioners and staff members. Daro‘s research on home visiting models will ultimately be incorporated into the new strategic plan's place-based investment approach.

"Home visiting is attractive because services can be provided in a parent or family's home, thereby reducing barriers to engagement and allowing services to be targeted to match a family's specific needs," Daro said. "I applaud First 5 LA for using this powerful tool to support children and families in L.A. County."

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