Healthy Families America
Healthy Families America (HFA) is a national program recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness project as a home visiting model that meets the criteria as an “Evidence-based Early Childhood Home Visiting Service Delivery Model.” The HFA model is a voluntary program designed to work with families who may have histories of trauma, intimate partner violence, mental health, and/or substance misuse. The HFA model utilizes experienced early childhood home visitors to provide frequent and supportive home visiting services. The goals of this program are to build and sustain community partnerships to systematically engage overburdened families in home visiting services prenatally or at birth; to cultivate and strengthen nurturing parent-child relationships; to promote healthy childhood growth and development; and to enhance family functioning by reducing risk and building protective factors.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Childhood, supports two versions of the HFA model, the Evidence-based HFA Model programming, and with HFA National Office approval, Adapted HFA Model programming.
The Evidence-based HFA Model programming is available in seven (7) counties and voluntarily enrolls low income pregnant women or primary caregivers with infants up to three (3) months of age.
The Adapted HFA Model programming is available in 50 counties in seven (7) regions of the state and implements protocols with an emphasis on working families referred through child welfare agencies for voluntary enrollment of prenatal women or families with a child up to the age of three (3) years. Services are provided primarily in the home and through group activities, such as monthly parent cafés.
Both versions of the HFA Model programming supported by the Office of Childhood assist in primary caregivers to identify strengths and set long-term goals for themselves and their families.
- Geographic Availability/Contact
- Eligibility/Additional Information
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Evidence-Based HFA Model Program
- Eligibility: Low-income under 185% of poverty as defined at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty; pregnant women or primary caregivers of infants less than 3 months of age.
- Frequency-Intensity of Home Visit: Provides frequent and intensive home visiting services that range from weekly, twice monthly, monthly and quarterly visits, based on the family and home visitor’s assessment of level of support needed. Visits are typically 60-minutes.
- Caseload per home visitor: Maximum 25 families per home visitor.
Adapted HFA Model Program
- Eligibility: A family must have a prenatal woman or a child under the age of three (3) years in the home;
- Have a household income under 185% of poverty as defined at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty; and
- Meet one of the following requirements (listed in the order of priority):
- Referred by Children’s Division as being “at risk” for physical, emotional, social and/or educational abuse/neglect;
- A family referred as a result of a Newborn Crisis Assessment;
- A family whose child is in the custody of the Department of Social Services Children’s Division and is actively working towards reunification;
- A family who is living in a shelter or temporary housing;
- Teenage parenting;
- Unemployed, but may be receiving Temporary Assistance or other income;
- Employed 40 hours or less per week; or
- Participating in an education, job training program, and/or rehabilitation program
- Frequency-Intensity of Home Visit:
The provides frequent and intensive home visiting services that range from weekly, twice monthly, monthly and quarterly visits, based on the family and home visitor’s assessment of level of support needed. Visits are typically 60-minutes. - Caseload per home visitor:
Maximum 25 families per home visitor. - Family Supports:
- Providers offer a Parent Café opportunity to enrolled families in every region throughout the state to allow for the opportunity for parents and caretakers to connect with one another and build positive support networks.
- Providers offer enrolled families incentives specific to each family’s needs including, but not limited to, diapers, wipes, books, health/safety items, developmentally appropriate toys, gas cards, clothing, etc.
- National Model Information