A Home Visiting Program that Works

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• A Home Visiting Program that Works

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The Importance of Prevention

• Diverse communities and service providers
• across the U.S. have come to the same
• conclusion violence and maltreatment must
• be stopped and the most powerful tools
• available are strategies focused on
• prevention.

Theres a lot to do to address this problem, but
if you could only do one thing focus on
prevention with new parents. U.S. Advisory
Board on Child Abuse and Neglect
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The Importance of Prevention

• How can we prevent child abuse?

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A Foundation of Family Supports

• Adequate housing
• Reliable transportation
• Quality child care
• Parent education and support groups
• Job training and employment opportunities
• Substance abuse and mental health counseling and
  treatment

• Domestic violence centers
• Family planning services
• Preventative health care services
• Early intervention programs for children with
  disabilities
• Healthy marriage and relationship services that
  promote the well-being of children
• Public awareness media campaigns

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The History of Healthy Families America
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The History of Healthy Families Florida

• In the early 90s, six counties in Florida
• started a Healthy Families program.
• Pinellas
• Orange
• Hillsborough
• Duval
• Polk
• Sarasota

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The History of Healthy Families Florida

• Success of sites in other states
• Lack of statewide prevention program
• Soaring rates of child abuse and neglect

• Surge of child deaths from abuse and neglect
• Funding available from tobacco settlement
• Bi-Partisan Support

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The History of Healthy Families Florida
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The History of Healthy Families Florida
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Healthy Families Florida Today
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Healthy Families Floridas Mission

• To provide a statewide system of
• voluntary, community-based home
• visitation services that strengthen
• families, promote positive parent-child
• relationships and optimize the health
• and development of children.

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• Goal 1 Prevent child abuse and neglect

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Five-Year Evaluation Results
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• Goal 2 Promote child and maternal health and
  development

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• Goal 3 Increase parents' ability to develop
  positive
• parent-child relationships

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• Goal 4 Improve
• self-sufficiency

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• Goal 5 Ensure families are satisfied with
  project services

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What Are the Key Ingredients to Healthy
Families Success?

• Services are voluntary
• Services are initiated during pregnancy or
  shortly after the birth of the baby.

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What Are the Key Ingredients to Healthy
Families Success?

• Services are offered during flexible hours
• Services focus on supporting parents and their
  families

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What Are the Key Ingredients to Healthy
Families Success?

• Families are connected to a medical provider
• Families are linked to additional services

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What Are the Key Ingredients to Healthy
Families Success?

• Families are encouraged to become involved in
  existing neighborhood support systems
• Families receive frequent visits for up to five
  years

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What Are the Key Ingredients to Healthy
Families Success?

• Home visitors have low caseloads
• Home visitors receive intensive training and
  supervision

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What Are the Key Ingredients to Healthy
Families Success?

• A statewide system with a central office to
  provide

• Accountability
• Training
• Technical Assistance
• Quality Assurance
• Fiscal Oversight
• Data Management
• Evaluation

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What Are the Key Ingredients to Healthy
Families Success?

• Strong collaborative partnerships are
• established in the community to ensure
• families receive the services they need
• beyond home visiting without duplication
• of effort.

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• A Home Visiting Program that Works