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Home Visiting    


All new families in New York State should receive assistance from a system of support and services that promotes optimal health, mental health, family functioning and self-sufficiency.  Such a system would serve all pregnant women, infants, and new families (including first-time parents and existing families with new babies).

This system of services would include:

  • Universal contact of all pregnant women and new families;
  • Assessments for parent, child and family health, mental health, developmental, social, literacy and other service needs;
  • Early intervention through referrals to coordinated supports and services; and
  • Home visiting services of varying duration and intensity according to the child’s and family’s needs.

                                                            


December 5, 2011 Home Visiting Policy Event:


Getting to the Next Steps of a Home Visiting System in New York: Strategies for Financing and Collaboration

This SCAA hosted event explored how New York State can develop a system of home visiting targeting those most at-risk, while allocating resources in the most effective way possible.

Our keynote speaker was Deborah Daro, Ph.D., Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, with opening remarks by Dr. Nirav Shah, New York State Commissioner of Health, a view from DC by Rutledge Q. Hutson of CLASP, and an afternnoon panel and discussion on the local and state perspectives of home visiting.


See video of Kate Breslin's welcome, Dr. Nirav Shah's opening remarks and Deborah Daro's presentation, and access PowerPoints and event photos on the Conference Materials page.


Home Visiting Toolkit:

21-day Amendment letter to Governor Cuomo from the Nurse-Family Partnership. January 27, 2012.

The Importance of Fatherhood in Home Visiting
, an issue brief by the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. January 2012.

Building Infrastructure to Support Home Visiting to Prevent Child Maltreatment: Two-Year Findings from the
Cross-Site Evaluation of the Supporting Evidence-Based Home Visiting Initiative
, a report by Mathematica Policy Research and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. August 12, 2011.

Home Visiting Saves Money, Prevents Child Abuse, Helps Children Learn and Strengthens Families, this SCAA issue brief demonstrates the economic payback of home visiting services. Summer 2011.

Maximizing the Impact of State Early Childhood Home Visitation Programs, a new issue brief by the NGA Center for Best Practices, examines how governors can better integrate home visiting programs into effective and comprehensive state early childhood systems. Key strategies include: promoting coordinating planning and shared accountability across state agencies, developing research-based quality standards, and improving data linkages to track outcomes and better target services. March 2011.

Talking Points for use with advocacy efforts to save home visiting funding. January 2011.

Cost-Effective Investments in Children at Risk. A February 2011 report from the Office of the State Comptroller. Programs focusing on at-risk children have proven effective at reducing the rates of juvenile violence and incarceration, according to a report released on Feb. 11, 2011 by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

Building the Foundation for School Success: Introducing The Parent-Child Home Program PowerPoint by Sarah Walzer, National Dropout Prevention Center/Network At Clemson University. March 16, 2010.

Update on Federal Funding for Home Visiting Budget Proposal, Health Care Reform Bills, & Other Pending Legislation
Six-page document by The Home Visiting Coalition. November 2009.

Letter sent to the Chairs of the U.S. House and Senate Budget Committees regarding Home Visiting Amendments.
April 9, 2009.  -download letter

Home Visiting: Prevention and Preparation
A Winning Beginning NY four-page brochure educates and informs both policymakers and the public about the benefits of home visiting. March 2009.

State-based Home Visiting, Strengthening Programs through State Leadership
Are states investing in home visiting in ways that promote improved outcomes for young children? How, in this context, do they meet the needs of those facing the greatest social and developmental risks? This report by the National Center for Children in Poverty is designed to help inform the field about these two central questions related to home visiting. February 2009.

Reducing Low Birth Weight Through Home Visitation: A Randomized Control Trial
Abstract of a research article by the Center for Human Services Research, School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York and the Bureau of Evaluation and Research, New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Albany, New York. February 2009.


Universal Prenatal/Postpartum Care and Home Visitation: The Plan for an Ideal System in New York State
This white paper by the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy is the product of two years of intensive research and discussion with a broad group of stakeholders collaborating as the home visiting workgroup. The paper describes a system of services that supports new families by providing three components: universal prenatal care, postpartum screening, and comprehensive home visiting.

Tiered Service Delivery Pyramid



Press:

HHS announces $224 million to support evidence-based home visiting programs to help parents and children
HHS.gov (September 22, 2011) News Release - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $224 million to help at-risk families voluntarily receive home visits from nurses and social workers to improve maternal and child health, child development, school readiness, economic self-sufficiency, and child abuse prevention. As part of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program, these grants are funded by the Affordable Care Act and are awarded to state agencies that applied for the grants in 49 states across the country. -see news release      -see list of grant awards

March 7, 2011 Press conference on elimination of funding for evidence-based home visiting programs
John Raskin, Senator Squadron’s chief of staff, provided remarks from the Senator at the press conference.
Press Release        Capitol Confidentiatwitter post       Press Conference Photos 

Funds should be restored for program to aid low-income moms
The Sunday Gazette (March 6, 2011) Opinion by Ray Schimmer - OK. We get it. The budget of the state of New York is out of control and cuts — deep cuts — will have to be made. Not only do we get it, but we agree. What Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing is simply responsible good governance. -download opinion

Child Abuse Prevention Possible Victim of Budget Cut
public news service (February 2, 2011) ALBANY, N.Y. - Faced with a $10 billion deficit, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed creation of a program that lumps together nine or more child welfare and juvenile justice programs. -see story

Podcast: Launching 12 Studies of Home Visiting Programs
Early Ed Watch (November 2, 2010) By Lisa Guernsey - A few weeks ago, the Pew Home Visiting Campaign announced grants for 12 new research projects to pinpoint what works in home visiting programs. The studies, which will be conducted around the country, are designed to provide answers to a multitude of questions, such as how to involve fathers in these programs, what kinds of tools work best to evaluate their quality, and what kind of intensity (how many visits per month? how long should the visits be?) makes a lasting impact on children's growth and development. -see story and podcast

Lack of budget impacts needy

timesunion.com (May 27, 2010) Letter to the Editor By Karen Schimke - The May 20 article, "Crisis grinds state work," about the impact on state government operations caused by the lack of an approved budget, is just the tip of the iceberg. -see letter


Save home visits from budget cuts

timesunion.com (November 18, 2009) Letter to the editor - As a business leader who cares about the end game in terms of the state's work force, I question the governor's across-the-board budget cuts ("Paterson argues for swift deficit action," Nov. 9) especially when they threaten programs like voluntary home visiting that are proven to give back to people and the economy. - see letter

Cops, Nurses United on Health Care Overhaul Facet
Public News Service (July 13, 2009) By Mark Scheerer - ALBANY, N.Y. - A nationwide organization of law enforcement professionals is calling on Senate Finance Committee members, including Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, to expand early childhood home nurse visitation programs. Their goal is to help prevent child abuse and neglect, which often lead to criminal behavior later in life. -see story

Nurse Home Visits: A Boost for Low-Income Parents
Time magazine (March 2, 2009) By Maia Szalavitz - Nurse home visitor Tammy Ballard has had some memorable experiences in close to a decade of helping new mothers raising their children in poverty in Dayton, Ohio. -see story

Don't balance budget by cutting abuse prevention

Post-Standard (January 29, 2009) Letter to the Editor By William J. Fitzpatrick - Each year in New York state, there are over 70,000 confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect. Many cases also go unreported, and researchers estimate the real toll could be three times that number. -download letter

Family advocates push to get health funding restored
Schenectady Gazette (December 22, 2008) By Sara Foss - CAPITOL — Children’s advocates are asking Gov. David Paterson to restore funding for a program that gives families with newborns and young children regular visits from trained family support workers, as well as community health nurses. -download story

Children’s Advocates React to Proposed Budget Cuts to Home Visiting
SCAA press release (December 16, 2008) Albany—Children’s advocates strongly objected today to Governor Paterson’s proposal to cut the Healthy Families New York home visiting program by 25% and eliminate funding for home visiting through child welfare preventive spending. -download press release

Home Visiting
(December 2008) Op-Ed By the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy - If you see a child being abused, is it your responsibility to try and stop it?  If you suspect a child is being abused, is it your responsibility to report it?  Most of us would answer “yes” to those questions. -download opinion

                                                             


October 16, 2009 Rochester, NY Regional Meeting PowerPoints:


NYS Home Visiting Coalition Overview  October 2009

Building Heatlhy Children  October 2009

Creating a unified voice for babies and toddlers: Cross sytems collaboration at the local and state level  October 2009


Home Visiting materials are in pdf files and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print. Click here to download the free Reader.

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