Chicago—Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) announced today that its signature evidence-based home visiting program, Healthy Families America (HFA), has received the highest rating—“well-supported”—from the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. Developed by the US Department of Health and Human Services in accordance with the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) of 2018, the clearinghouse systematically reviews research and evaluates programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and families, including mental health, substance abuse and parenting assistance, and prevent foster care placements nationwide.
The FFPSA, for the first time ever, enables funds typically reserved for “after-the-fact” intervention services to be used for upstream strategies such as home visiting.
“Our model is rooted in science that shows early nurturing relationships are the foundation for healthy development and lifelong well-being,” explained HFA National Director of Operations Kathleen Strader. “We’re pleased that the clearinghouse recognizes the significance and value of our proactive approach and the positive impact it has on children, families, and communities across the country.”
The clearinghouse is an objective, rigorous, and transparent source of information on evidence-based programs and services. More than 360 unique responses from key stakeholders and input from the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare helped determine the first twelve services and programs considered for review by the clearinghouse, which also includes two other evidence-based home visiting programs, Nurse-Family Partnership and Parents as Teachers.
“A major distinction of our approach is that interactions between our direct service providers and families are strength and relationship-based, family-centered, culturally sensitive, reflective, and ultimately designed to promote positive parent-child relationships and healthy attachment,” continued Strader. “Moreover, a considerable amount of research has been conducted on our model—nearly 20 publications document independent, randomized control trials that demonstrate positive outcomes for HFA families compared to control groups not receiving HFA services. These are among the factors likely contributing to our high rating.”
HFA is designed for parents facing life stresses such as single parenthood, low income, childhood history of abuse and other adverse child experiences, and current or previous issues related to substance abuse, mental health issues, and/or domestic violence. Families are typically enrolled prenatally or within three months of birth, and for HFA sites approved to use the model’s child welfare adaptation, up to age twenty-four months. Once enrolled, services are offered to families for a minimum of three years. To learn more about HFA, please visit healthyfamiliesamerica.org.
About Prevent Child Abuse America
Prevent Child Abuse America is a leading champion for all children in the United States. Founded in 1972, we are the nation’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect, working to actively prevent all forms of child abuse and neglect before they occur and helping children grow up to be productive, contributing members of their communities and society. Our success is founded on a nationwide network of state chapters and nearly 600 Healthy Families America home visiting sites, which directly provide parents and caregivers a wide variety of services and resources. Our comprehensive approach is informed by science—we translate and disseminate innovative research to promote proven solutions that our vast network then puts into action. And we raise public awareness and advocate for family friendly policies at the national, state, and local levels to support transformative programs and promote the conditions and contexts that help children, families, and communities across the country thrive.
Contact:
Charles Mutscheller
Chief Communications Officer
cmutscheller@preventchildabuse.org
