Summary for MIECHV Stakeholder Committee Meeting – February 22, 2012

Topic Details ResourcesWelcome/Introductions

Participants were warmly welcomed by Sue Mitchell Camille Catlett facilitated the introductions of the

participants. This included an activity in which each shared a core value of an effective home visiting (HV) system.

Overview of Home Visiting Grant

Carrie Collins provided an overview of the features and requirements of the federal home visiting grant.

The PowerPoint slides for this presentation are available at http://www.ocdelresearch.org1

What’s the Evidence?

Camille Catlett provided an overview of foundational concepts for Pennsylvania’s evolving home visiting system. This included definitions of and information about evidence-based practices (EBP), home visiting, protective factors, continuous quality improvement (CQI),and professional development.

The PowerPoint slides for this presentation are available at http://www.ocdelresearch.org1

A handout of key EBP and HV sources for this presentation is available at http://www.ocdelresearch.org1

Sharing a vision Working in small groups, participants discussed the essential features of a vision for Pennsylvania’s current home visiting efforts (serving children birth through five and their families under the federal grant). Ten initial drafts of a vision to guide home visiting efforts were created.

The 10 initial drafts were discussed and merged to create four near-final draft visions. These four statements will be distributed to members of the MIECHV Stakeholder Committee via Zoomerang. Their input will decide the final vision that will guide the evolution of Pennsylvania’s early childhood HV work.

The final four draft vision statements are attached as Appendix A.

Topic Details Resources

1 Reports Home Visiting MIECHV Stakeholder meeting materials (http://www.ocdelresearch.org/Reports/Forms/AllItems.aspx?RootFolder=%2fReports%2fHome%20Visiting%2fMIECHV%20Stakeholder%20meeting%20materials&FolderCTID=&View=%7b5EEC6855%2dF8A8%2d486E%2dB6E0%2dFE6B9FDEBE2E%7d)

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Explicit and Intentional

In small groups, participants discussed possible additions or clarifications to the list of values that drive Pennsylvania’s HV work.

An edited list of the values that undergird Pennsylvania’s early childhood HV work is attached as Appendix B.

Toward an Integrated System

OCDEL is committed to ensuring that Pennsylvania’s home visiting efforts are as explicit and intentional as possible. Thus participants were divided into four groups, corresponding to Pennsylvania’s evidence-based models for HV, and asked to respond to four important questions:

1. How will you incorporate the vision and values in the home visiting work you do?

2. How will you ensure that your practices are reflective of and responsive to the culture, language and configuration of each family?

3. How will you promote collaboration and linkages with other agencies and initiatives at the agency level? At the county cluster level? At the state level?

4. What resources will support your home visiting work?

Ideas from the four brainstorming groups are summarized in Appendix C. These are rich lists with lots of ideas for each committee member to use and share.

Next Steps Responses to the initial activity (share a core value of an effective home visitation system) were transcribed and transformed into a word cloud using wordle (http://www.wordle.net).

Carrie Collins shared several specific next steps:o Members of the Committee will be asked to vote on a

final vision statement for Pennsylvania’s early childhood home visiting work

o The Committee will be reconvening quarterly to support efforts to increase the quality and effectiveness of Pennsylvania’s home visiting work.

The wordle appears in Appendix D.

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Appendix A: Integrated vision statements

1A family-focused, sustainable statewide system of high quality maternal and early childhood home visitation services that result in family health and well being

2 All families have access to home visitation services that support them in nurturing and caring for each other

3To engage and empower families to achieve positive outcomes through a sustainable, integrated, statewide system of high quality, evidence-based home visitation services

4A statewide system of high quality home visitation services that will, in partnership with families and communities, strengthen, support, and promote maternal and early childhood health, safety, development, and education

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Appendix B: Values of Pennsylvania’s Early Childhood Home Visitation Work

Services that are Strength-based and built on protective factors

o Effective in promoting family well beingo Able to transfer knowledge to families so they can meet the health, safety, and

developmental needs of their childo Able to connect families to community resources and natural supportso Anticipate and plan for transitionso Committed to promoting positive long-term child and family successes

Relationship based Family-centered; able to adapt to where families are; flexible, convenient and timely for families Reflective of and responsive to the cultures, languages, and abilities of children, families, homes,

and communities Evidence-based, results-oriented, high quality, effective, and accountable

Staff who are Reflective of the demographics of the community Respectful of the cultures and values of families and the communities within which they reside Able to engage families as partners Participants in ongoing professional development

Service agencies that Are accessible to all families prenatal to five Creatively engage and empower families as partners and decision makers and engage them in all

aspects of service delivery Employ and value well-trained, culturally competent, and empathetic staff who are responsive to

families Support staff through ongoing professional development, supervision, and mentoring Engage in continuous quality improvement and community collaboration using data to drive

decision-making Partner collaboratively with other agencies and initiatives

Communities and stakeholders that Collaborate and coordinate to provide a seamless network of progressive services and supports Recognize the importance of the home visitor in the early childhood system Engage citizens in supporting early learning and promote awareness of resources Provide access to a seamless network of services and supports Invest in sustaining and supporting home visitation programs Value all families regardless of their perceived status and recognize their contributions to society Value prevention as a strategy for achieving long term positive outcomes

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Appendix C: Intentional Strategies for Maximizing the Benefits of HV Work

How will you incorporate the vision and values in the work you do related to home visitation?HFA Align with PAT around essential requirements and HFA critical elements. Staff will adopt the

essential requirements and critical elements. It will come naturally with staff buy-in.NFP Values and vision are already part of the core foundation of the program

Responsiveness to the needs of families is built into the model, materials, fidelity, as well as agency standards

EHS Share with direct staff as part of the organizational culture Look at how these values and vision are similar to other stakeholder groups’ values (e.g.,

early intervention, hospital, CYS, SD, MHMR) – all of whom are providing services to children and families

Share with families via a survey or interview; self-assessment to understand how we’re doingPAT Assuring vision and values are incorporated into umbrella agency

Key words are included in staff evaluations Utilize data for continuous quality improvement (CQI). Use the data for education and to

support future endeavors. Educate staff; make sure staff meet requirements and have professional development Share with local stakeholders, legislators, advisory group Use in values and vision in everyday planning Incorporate into print materials See if home visiting vision and values align with agency program and priorities Incorporate into reflective supervision Incorporate into self-assessment / CQI

State Share with other programs (data, resources, ideas) Incorporate Create linkages with Child Welfare Referral access – pediatricians Universal access – how to coordinate Collaborate to provide a continuum of services instead of duplicate/multiple services

How will you ensure that your practices are reflective of and responsive to the culture, language, and configuration of each family?

Use reflective supervision Reflect on services provided on an ongoing basis Gather information from the family through open discussion in an ongoing process Find creative ways to communicate with families, especially fathers Staff that provide service reflect the demographics of the community Boards reflect the demographics of the communities served Ask families to reflect on services provided (after each home visit, socialization) Use appropriate family assessment tools; use parent feedback forms; support family goal-setting Hire staff who reflect the community Access to higher education for potential staff Employ staff members who reflect the population of families served Use effective professional development methods (e.g. mentoring, communities of practice) Cultural competency application Incorporate family members and communities in stakeholder groups

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How will you promote collaboration and linkages with other agencies and initiatives?HFA Knowledge of agency resources – make referrals, provide information

Participation in local committees – LICC, LEARN, stakeholder meetings Provide input and suggestions for outreach and recruitment Coordinate with other community agencies Link with medical community for referrals, MOUs Build relationships with other home visitation agencies Network with other model providers – new to Pennsylvania, linked to other states

NFP Community Advisory Boards already established at the local level. Various service systems. In some cases, many boards with different foci

Human services directories that support a centralized referral system across agencies Overcoming turf issues Need to build relationships from the top down and the bottom up Public awareness/promotion resources on home visiting State taking more of an active part in this promotion, like WIC “Normalize” home visiting; destigmatize services Open up clients to exploration of their own thoughts and beliefs

EHS Volunteer for other agencies Invite other agencies to socialization; open building for their events Bring other agencies to the table to talk about vision or shared values/needs. Opportunities

for collaboration might include LEARN meeting, ASAC, LICC, policy council/shared governance, transition, shared family events, statewide professional organization meetings, local stakeholder meetings to do community assessments

PAT Use board meetings to promote collaboration Offer free services (i.e., screenings) Find early childhood education services and use them Meet with legislators

State Full continuum in most appropriate setting Provide a model for collaboration at the state level that others can follow Get out of silos Make use of advisory groups Use the Early Learning Council as a hub Be ambassadors; take back information from meetings to inform others

What resources would help you to do these things? Funding for training; more availability of training Training opportunities for funding requirements – ASQ; data collection training Make sure all home visiting services are advertised; include on websites Need a “hot stop” f or families to visit and get information in different languages Use different methods of communication (billboards, TV); state needs to publicize State leaders need to be spokespeople Universal access to home visiting Greater Alabama Health Network Central referrals System mapping Statewide “think tank” Video clips that show effective home visiting

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Appendix D: Wordle

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