Home Visiting Basics
This is a service delivery strategy that connects caregivers with a trained support person during early childhood.
What is a home visiting program?
A parent asks you to babysit during a visit while they run errands. This creates this kind of issue.
What is a boundary issue / ethical dilemma?
T or F: If a client is difficult or “uncooperative,” the home visitor should immediately terminate services.
Answer: False
Why: The worker should first consider the reasons behind the lack of cooperation and whether other approaches are needed.
A home visitor should avoid creating too much of this, even when trying to be helpful.
What is dependency?
A strong home visiting program should include these two things to support staff and improve quality.
What are training and supervision?
Home visiting supports both the child and this other important person in the home.
Who is the caregiver / parent?
Scenario:
A child repeatedly hits their caregiver during a visit. The caregiver says, “He’s just mean.”
Question:
What would a relationship-based home visitor likely do?
Help the caregiver understand what the behavior may be communicating
Why:
T or F: A home visitor should always prioritize client self-determination, even if a child may be in danger.
Answer: False
Why: Client choice matters, but safety and well-being come first when someone is at risk.
This is built when the home visitor is consistent, respectful, and nonjudgmental.
What is trust?
Social workers can work at the macro level by advocating for changes in these.
What are policies/systems/laws?
These are three professionals who may serve as home visitors.
Who are nurses, social workers, or early childhood specialists?
If a family shares something concerning that may place a child at risk, the home visitor may need to do this even if it affects trust.
What is report the concern?
T or F: Child FIRST only focuses on the child’s behavior and does not address parent or family needs.
Answer: False
Why: It is a two-generational model that supports both the child and caregiver/family.
This protects private information shared by families, unless there is a safety concern.
What is confidentiality?
This helps home visiting programs continue to exist and expand to more families.
What is funding?
One major goal of home visiting is to support caregivers during this stage of life.
What is early childhood / early parenting / raising a young child?
Scenario:
A parent says their 2-year-old is “bad” because he throws toys, has tantrums, and does not sit still for long.
Question:
What is the home visitor’s best response?
Answer:
Provide developmental guidance and help reframe the behavior
Why:
T or F: If a caregiver seems to rely heavily on the home visitor, the long-term goal should still be to promote independence.
Answer: True
A home visitor should make sure their expectations are realistic by considering things like poverty, stress, and these larger social factors.
What are environmental factors/systemic barriers?
Several families in a home visiting program keep missing appointments because visits are only offered during weekday work hours. From a mezzo perspective, what should the program consider?
Offering more flexible scheduling and improving accessibility.
Home visiting programs may screen both children and caregivers for these kinds of concerns (3).
What are mental, behavioral, and medical health concerns
Scenario:
A family keeps saying they want help but never follows through with outside referrals.
Question:
What should the home visitor do before labeling them “noncompliant”?
Explore barriers, trust, readiness, and unmet needs
T or F: Home visiting programs are usually mandatory for all families with young children.
Answer: False
Why: Home visiting is typically voluntary.
A home visiting model has strong results in one city, and leaders want to bring it to more underserved communities. What macro concept does this reflect?
Program development and scaling
A community wants to start a new home visiting program but is unsure what model to use. What macro-level approach would be most appropriate?
Use an evidence-based model and design services around community needs.