A recent report by the Children’s Health Policy Centre found that home visiting programs can have significant benefits for mothers and children facing adversity.

The report looked at randomized controlled trial evaluations of 13 home visiting programs across Canada, the U.S. and other high-income jurisdictions to investigate the effectiveness of these programs. Seven intensive programs based on the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) model demonstrated particularly robust benefits.

The benefits for children included:

• reduced prenatal substance exposure
• improved language
• improved cognitive development
• better mental health
• better school readiness and reading
• fewer injuries or maltreatment concerns

Benefits for mothers included:

• better social supports
• greater self-efficacy
• fewer subsequent pregnancies
• increased breastfeeding duration
• better mental health
• improved parenting
• improved socioeconomic status
• reduced exposure to intimate partner violence

NFP is an early intervention where nurses visit girls and women through pregnancy and their child’s early years. Nurses explore topics such as healthy pregnancy, parenting skills, healthy relationships and child development.

The report also identified six other home visiting programs that benefitted children and mothers. However, these programs had fewer positive outcomes than the NFP-based programs due to shorter durations, later interventions and the varied skill levels of providers.

These findings provide critical evidence that policymakers in British Columbia can use to build on the success of existing programs, develop new intervention strategies and ensure that children and mothers flourish.

To learn more, read the full report.