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HEALTHY
FAMILIES Whidbey
Program Description:
Healthy Families Whidbey began in 1999, and is based upon
the goals and principles of Healthy Families America*, promoting healthy family development through
services that are individualized, flexible, voluntary, and accessible to ALL families as
early in life as possible. A core component of the effort is home visitation(**, ***) provided by qualified
personnel. A family receives services and/or volunteer matches based on the assessed
needs, starting in the prenatal period and potentially receiving services until the child
is five years old or more. Project Abstract
These services are the result of a broad partnership of agencies on
Whidbey Island working with families prenatally and beyond. This collaboration includes:
the United Way of Island
County, the Island-Stanwood-Camano Community Health & Safety
Network; the Whidbey Island Readiness-to-Learn Foundation; the Child Abuse Protection Foundation;
the University of Washington Evaluation Center; Island County Public Health; Island
County Mental Health & Substance Abuse Board; NAS Whidbey Island
Family Services; the
Opportunity Council; Whidbey General Hospital;
the Division of Social and Health Services; all
local schools, family and children support service agencies on Whidbey Island,
and qualified volunteers. Our project is presented in more detail at the following site:
HFW |
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The model below exemplifies the tenents of
the Healthy Families Program. |
| Model Classification: |
Family Strengthening / Child Abuse Prevention
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| Site: |
The program is primarily home-based. Additional service sites include
health care provider offices and community agencies. |
| Target Audience: |
All young and/or expectant families on Whidbey Island |
| Level of Prevention: |
Primary |
Outcome:
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Program not yet implemented. Intended outcomes include reduced
incidence of child abuse on Whidbey Island (by 25 percent within the first two
years) and increased child readiness to learn. |
| Keys to Success: |
The development of a program that is strength- and asset-based (serving
all families, building supportive networks, and gathering resources), with a strong and
diverse collaboration built around a common goal to empower the family. |
| Costs and Cost/Benefits: |
The average anticipated unit cost is $74 per visit. The program should
have an annual budget of approximately $500,000 including in-kind services. Cost
benefit is an expected outcome related to decreased rates of child abuse and
improved family functionality, requiring fewer secondary and tertiary services in the
out-years. |
| Funding: |
The primary source of funds initially will be from grants. Additional
sources of funding include fund raising events by United Way, local Service Clubs and
charitable organizations. Long term funding is being sought through legislative measures,
pending success of the first four-year pilot project.. |
| Cultural Competency: |
All presently participating agencies in Healthy Families Whidbey Island
are collaborative partners supporting responsiveness to all ethnic communities in Island
County. Additional partnership contracts will be considered, based on need. Families are
involved in case planning and consultation to meet their needs in a culturally specific
manner. |
| Rural Considerations: |
The volunteer component makes the effort feasible for rural communities. Transportation
issues for the home visitors and for clients seeking services would need to be
considered. |
| Local Contacts: |
(program not yet implemented) Island County Public Health staff
personnel are working with the oversight coordinating agency, the Island County Readiness
to Learn Foundation, and with all program participants. |
| Technical Assistance: |
Contact Carrie McLachlan
(360) 240-5578, Project Lead; or Carol
McNeil, (360) 679-7351, Program Lead for
information and phone consultation. Additional technical assistance may be obtained
through: Fredi Rector, Program Manager
Washington Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, (206) 587-5146
Dinah Martin, Program Manager
DSHS--Division of Children and Family Services, (360) 902-7993 |
* Healthy
Families America (HFA) In January 1992, the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse
(NCPCA) in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities launched an initiative
entitled Healthy Families America (HFA). Building upon
two decades of research and the experience of over 200 communities across the country in
putting the research into practice, the goal of HFA is to ensure that all new
parents – but primarily those facing the greatest challenges – receive the
education and support they need at the time their baby is born so that they can get off to
a good start. Research has consistently documented impressive outcomes for families
enrolled in home visitor programs which are intensive, comprehensive, well integrated with
other community services, and flexible in responding to a family's unique needs.
Strategically, it makes sense to reach families as early as possible, when a woman is
pregnant or a child is born, in order to build parenting skills and prevent childhood
health problems, notably child abuse and neglect. Families are offered services prenatally
or at the birth of their child through public health departments, clinics or hospitals.
Visits begin weekly and gradually taper off lasting up to five years. Parents learn
appropriate parent-infant/child interaction, healthy infant and child development, and a
host of other parenting and life skills, depending upon the needs of families. All
families are linked to a medical home to receive well-child visits and timely
immunizations, and they are also referred to other appropriate community services for
resources such as WIC, affordable child care, and job training. HFA is not a rigid program
that outlines services that should be provided to every family. Instead, home visitors
empower families by building upon their strengths to identify and address areas of
concern.
** In 1991, home
visitation was endorsed by the U.S. National Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, as
the most critical element for an effective child abuse prevention program (Center
on Child Abuse Prevention Research, National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, Chicago,
Illinois, Intensive Home Visitation: A Randomized Trial, Follow-up and Risk Assessment
Study of Hawaii's Healthy Start Program, Executive Summary, Prepared for the National
Center on Child Abuse and Neglect and Administration for Children, Youth and Families,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C., June 4, 1996).
***"Home Nurse Visits to
Children at Risk Can Reduce Behavior and Substance Use Problems" (JAMA, Oct 14, 1998)
reviewed: 01 June, 2006
chab web control
WHF
Community Health Resource Center