The report and conversations with home visitors noted that they spend nearly 75% of the workweek reporting data from home visits and collecting family information for internal reporting and funding sources. This cuts into the time that could be better spent making connections and supporting families, signaling the evident need to alleviate the administrative burden that duplicative reporting requirements impose on home visitors. Many programs have multiple databases with similar data inputs based on the home visiting model and funding streams, but due to the siloed nature of these systems, home visitors are spending hours entering repetitive information. This can lead to burnout and additional stress over managing caseloads, which ultimately makes it more difficult for home visitors to do their jobs. Streamlining data collection and reporting processes through standardized requirements and data interoperability is critical in reducing the administrative burden on home visitors. The importance of being heard and involved in the development of solutions is highly important, and the voices of home visitors directly informed these next steps forward. (author summary)
Due to the substantial impact that home visiting has on families in the District, the DC Home Visiting Council, a body of home visiting programs and partners, works to strengthen and stabilize the industry to ensure that families can continue to receive high-quality services. One of the main challenges highlighted in their Voices from the Field Report was that while meeting with families and strengthening relationships, many home visitors expressed feeling burdened by repetitive administrative work and reporting requirements.