Abstract
Introduction
Evidence supports ongoing investment in maternal and early childhood home visiting in the US. Yet, a small fraction of eligible families accesses these services, and little is known about how families are referred. This report describes priority populations for home visiting programs, the capacity of programs to enroll more families, common sources of referrals to home visiting, and sources from which programs want to receive more referrals.
Methods
We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a national web-based survey of members of the Home Visiting Applied Research Collaborative (HARC), focusing on a small set of items that directly addressed study aims. Survey respondents (N = 87) represented local programs implementing varying home visiting models diverse in size and geographic context.
Results
Programs prioritized enrollment of pregnant women; parents with mental health, substance abuse or intimate partner violence concerns; teen parents; and children with developmental delays or child welfare involvement. Most respondents reported capacity to enroll more families in their programs. Few reported receiving any referrals from pediatric providers, child welfare, early care and education, or TANF/other social services. Most desired more referrals, especially from healthcare providers, WIC, and TANF/other social services.
Discussion
Given that most programs have the capacity to serve more families, this study provides insights regarding providers with whom home visiting programs might strengthen their referral systems.
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Availability of Data and Materials
Data available on request.
Code Availability
Code available on request.
Notes
Other models included SafeCare, HIPPY, and several models other than those designated as evidence-based by HomVEE.
30 sites reported serving more than one type of geographic area.
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Acknowledgements
Support for this project was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation. This project also was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services UD5MC24070 and UD5MC30792, Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Research Network. The content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
Funding
Support for this project was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation. This project also was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services UD5MC24070 and UD5MC30792, Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Research Network. The content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
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Drs. West, Minkovitz, and Duggan designed and administered the survey. Drs. Joshi, West, and Minkovitz conceived the research questions, conducted data analyses and drafted the manuscript. All authors interpreted the results and contributed to critically revising the final manuscript.
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The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Institutional Review Board designated the study as not human subjects research.
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Joshi, D.S., West, A.L., Duggan, A.K. et al. Referrals to Home Visiting: Current Practice and Unrealized Opportunities. Matern Child Health J 27, 407–412 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-022-03566-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-022-03566-4