Home Visiting
FAMILY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT
Services that address the health and wellbeing - physical, behavioral, social, and economic - of parents, families, and caregivers of young children
IN THIS SECTION
Home visiting is a service delivery strategy that connects expectant parents and/or caregivers of young children with family support specialists who help them navigate the early stages of a young child’s life.
Research shows that home visits by nurses, social workers, early childhood educators, or other professionals help support parenting, reduce abuse and neglect, improve health, and promote child development and school readiness. Home visits may include parenting guidance/coaching as well as connecting families to needed resources and services.
Equity considerations
Currently, home visiting programs are not available to all families in Massachusetts due to insufficient funding.
Program Snapshot: Home Visiting
Home Visiting: Parent & Caregiver Support and Stability
In Massachusetts there are several home visiting programs offered through the Department of Public Health, The Children's Trust, and the Department of Early Education and Care that support families with with young children. The following programs are all examples of Home Visiting in Massachusetts.
FAMILY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT
Healthy Families Massachusetts
Healthy Families is a free and voluntary support program for first-time moms and dads aged 23 and under. Young parents across Massachusetts can sign up for the program during pregnancy and continue up to the child’s third birthday.
Home visitors teach parents about proper baby care, promote nurturing and attachment, practice effective parenting skills, and ensure parents have a solid understanding of healthy child development. They also counsel parents on achieving personal goals such as going back to school or securing a job.
Ages
Pre-Birth -3 years
Usage
Geography
Statewide
Professionals
Family Support Professionals
Settings
Family’s Home, Community Agencies/Organizations, Virtual Visits
Oversight, Guidance, OR Regulation
The Children's Trust
Healthy Families Massachusetts receives funds from the Department of Public Health's Massachusetts Home Visiting Initiative to expand home visiting services
FAMILY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT
Parents as Teachers (PAT)
Parents as Teachers is a free and voluntary support program for parents of young children. PAT aims to increase parent knowledge of early childhood development, provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues, increase children’s school readiness and success, and support healthy and safe environments. The four components of the model (home visits, group connections, child screenings, and resource network) all focus on parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting, and family well-being.
Ages
Pre-Birth - 5 years
Usage
Geography
Boston, Fall River, Brockton, New Bedford, Fitchburg, Berkshire County, Springfield, Holyoke, Lawrence, Revere (as well as broader catchment areas to these communities)
Professionals
Family Support Professionals
Settings
Family’s Home, Community Agencies/Organizations, Virtual Visits
Oversight, Guidance, OR Regulation
Department of Public Health
FAMILY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT
Welcome Family
Welcome Family visits are one-time home visits by a maternal and child health nurse to support new caregivers (e.g., birthing parents, fathers, grandparents, adoptive, and foster parents) and their newborns. Currently these home visits are only available for families in Boston, Fall River, Holyoke, Lowell, New Bedford, and Springfield.
Ages
Birth - 8 weeks postpartum
Usage
Geography
Boston, Fall River, Holyoke, Lowell, New Bedford, and Springfield (as well as broader catchment areas to these communities)
Professionals
Maternal & Child Health Nurse
Settings
Family’s Home, Community Agencies/Organizations, Virtual Visits
Oversight, Guidance, OR Regulation
Department of Public Health
FAMILY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT
Early Intervention Parenting Partnership (EIPP)
Early Intervention Parenting Partnership is a home visiting program for expectant parents and families with infants who need extra support due to barriers such as low financial resources, housing instability, experiencing health challenges such as depression or substance abuse, or experiencing other stressors such as immigration related stress. The goals of EIPP are to connect families to local resources, build families' social support and networks, and engage families in the health care system. Specific offerings include parent education, support for families experiencing multiple stressors, support with linking families to Early Intervention services when appropriate.
EIPP is delivered by a multidisciplinary team of professionals, including a maternal and child health (MCH) nurse, licensed mental health clinician, a community health worker (CHW), and a lactation consultant as appropriate.
Ages
Pre-Birth - 1 year
Usage
Geography
Springfield, Holyoke, Cambridge, Somerville, Fall River, Lowell
(as well as broader catchment areas to these communities)
Professionals
Maternal & Child Health Nurse (MCH), Mental Health Clinician, Community Health Worker (CHW), Lactation Consultant (as appropriate)
Settings
Family’s Home, Community Agencies/Organizations, or Online
Oversight, Guidance, OR Regulation
Department of Public Health
FAMILY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT
F.O.R Families (Follow-Up Outreach Referral)
F.O.R Families is for families receiving Emergency Assistance shelter from the Division of Housing Stabilization at the Department of Housing and Community Development. The program intends to address the barriers families face in acquiring and maintaining stable housing. A Home Visitor conducts family assessments and makes referrals for services such as WIC, Early Intervention, and primary care.
Ages
Pre-Birth - 21 years
Usage
Geography
Statewide
Professionals
Human Service Professionals
Settings
Family’s Home, Community Agencies/Organizations
Oversight, Guidance, OR Regulation
Department of Public Health, Department of Housing and Community Development
FAMILY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT
FIRST (Families in Recovery SupporT) Steps Together
FIRST Steps Together is a home visiting program for families affected by parental substance use that offers strengths-based care, peer recovery support and coaching, parenting support and resources, care coordination, clinical counseling, and collaboration with other care providers.
Ages
Pre-Birth -5 years
Usage
Geography
Berkshire County, Hampden County, Fitchburg, Leominster, MetroWest, South Shore, Cape Cod and the Islands, and South Coast (as well as broader catchment areas to these communities)
Professionals
Family Recovery Support Specialist (peers with lived experience in recovery), and Mental Health Clinicians
Settings
Family’s Home, Community Agencies/Organizations, or Online
Oversight, Guidance, OR Regulation
Department of Public Health
FAMILY/CAREGIVER SUPPORT
Ages
3-5 years
Usage
Geography
Statewide
Professionals
Organization/Program Staff
Home Visiting: Literacy & School Readiness
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) "school readiness is foundational across early childhood systems and programs. It means children are ready for school, families are ready to support their children's learning, and schools are ready for children." School readiness and literacy are key focal areas for all home visiting models in MA. Home visiting programs can promote literacy and school readiness through support of physical, cognitive, and social and emotional development for children to build the necessary skills and attitudes necessary for success in school and later learning.
Activities that support this skill building through home visiting include telling stories, singing songs, and other activities that families can do on a regular basis with their child and are critical to early literacy development.
