Effective home visiting programs for children and mothers experiencing adversities
December 11, 2024
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About
Effective early interventions — offered before problems emerge and delivered with intensity according to need — are crucial in ensuring that children do not experience the negative effects of avoidable early adversities. Early prevention programs for families experiencing adversities hold particular promise for ensuring all young people can fulfill their potential.
In this report, we identified research evidence for British Columbia (BC) policymakers on the best options for nurse-home visiting interventions with children and mothers experiencing adversity. We first used systematic review methods to identify randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluations. We then supplemented our methods by scanning RCT-backed home visiting interventions recommended by the United States (US) Department of Health and Human Services through its Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program.
We found that seven programs based on a nurse-home visiting model (led by nurses, specific eligibility criteria, commencing in pregnancy, with intensive visits) led to a comprehensive array of positive outcomes for both children and mothers, including benefits that emerged across childhood and adolescence. The six other programs included in our analysis also led to benefits.
Read the full report to learn more.
Co-Principal Investigators
- Nicole L.A. Catherine
- Kim Thomson
- Charlotte Waddell
Funders
- BC Ministry of Health
Project Partners
- BC Provincial Health Services Authority – Child Health BC
Publications
- Catherine N, Barican J, White O, Tang J, Thomson K, & Waddell C (2024). Effective Home Visiting Programs for Children and Mothers Experiencing Adversities. Vancouver, British Columbia: Children’s Health Policy Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University.