Healthy Families is a voluntary program run by the U.S. government that involves visiting participant's homes, the goal of which is to strengthen families by reducing child abuse and neglect, childhood health problems and juvenile delinquency. This goal is met by offering services such as child development, access to health care and parent education. Healthy Families works closely with maternity wards, prenatal clinics and other agencies to identify families that could benefit from education and support services before or immediately after a child's birth.
History
Healthy Families America was launched in 1992 by Prevent Child Abuse America in partnership with the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and financial support was provided by the Freddie Mac Foundation. It has proven to be a successful program with more than 90 percent of families who have been offered participation in the program choosing to do so.
Assessment
The Kempe Family Stress Checklist is a tool used to assess a family to see if it is in need of the services that Healthy Families offers. This checklist is completed by a family assessment worker who will arrange to meet with the family before the infant is two weeks old. Information that the assessment explores includes the parents' childhood, substance abuse, mental health, history of arrests, previous or current Child Protective Service involvement, self-esteem, available support, depression, coping skills, stress in family and potential for violence.
Process
The materials used for Healthy Families reflect the diversity of the population that the program serves. Families are connected to a physician or medical provider, if the family does not have one, in order to ensure timely immunizations and well-baby care. Financial, food and housing assistance can be accessed through the Healthy Families program. The program can also assist you in your parent-child interaction and will follow your child's development to track any deficits that may exist so that early intervention can take palce. Home visitors are not spread thin by having too many families; in fact, they will have no more than 15 cases at a time.
Benefits
The Healthy Families Program is making strides towards ending abuse and neglect nationwide. Indiana reports that in 2008, the Healthy Families Program achieved 99.95 percent success in terms of participant families being free from abuse to their dependents and 98.76 percent of the families free from neglect altogether.
Staff Training
The primary training for Healthy Families Program employees involves five consecutive days. The training includes a one-day overview of the Healthy Families Program and an in-depth review of all critical elements of the program. One day is reserved for program managers and supervisors. The group is divided into two role-specific training tracks during the remaining three days. The training includes supporting healthy childhood growth and development, promoting positive parent-child relationships, enhancing family functioning by teaching parents solution-focused problem-solving skills, and improving family support systems.
