- | Report
The National Resource Center for Family Based Services (NRC) created this profile of Iowa’s family support workforce under sponsorship of the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH). The purpose was to gain a greater understanding of the family support workforce and its organizational contexts with the goal of strengthening the workforce and improving the quality of family support services. (author summary)
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The early childhood workforce encompasses a range of professionals across health care, early childhood education, mental health, child welfare, and early intervention. Despite the differences in daily responsibilities, these professionals experience similar systems-level challenges which impede their ability to professionally flourish and risk undermining the needs of families. In this article, we highlight four key challenges—compensation, burnout, safety, and retention—which have long impacted their sectors and have been further exacerbated by the pandemic. Opportunities for policymakers and program administrators to discuss these challenges are discussed. (author abstract)
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Early care and education workers are increasingly recognizing their role in helping children who have experienced trauma, including extended parental separations due to incarceration. These children may have emotional reactions and behaviors that are particularly challenging in group settings. Moreover, early care and education professionals themselves have often had challenging experiences in their own lives. As a result, there is a need for training and support to help the workforce recognize the secondary trauma and stress associated with caring for these young children. This article will explore howto establish systems and policies that support the early care and education workforce who are on the frontlines of helping children cope with trauma. (author abstract)
- | Blog
This blog describes strategies that Florida has utilized to support local implementing agencies (LIAs) to improve their staff recruitment and retention in recognition that home visitors play an enormous role in family engagement with the program. (author summary)
- | Fact/Tip Sheet
This fact sheet describes the Staff Recruitment & Retention (SRR) CoIIN was a collaborative learning effort that consists of three MIECHV awardees (Ohio, Alabama, Wisconsin) and 10 LIAs who worked to achieve the following the following SMART aim by the end of their collaborative: 85% of home visiting professionals, including home visitors and home visiting supervisors, will improve or maintain high staff well-being, creating a healthier, supported, and more resilient home visiting workforce. (author summary)
- | Report
The Supporting and Strengthening the Home Visiting Workforce (SAS-HV) project focuses on “professional well-being,” specifically the (1) workplace experiences unique to home visiting and (2) how they influence dimensions of well-being that affect home visitors’ practice with families. (author summary)
- | Brief
The focus of this rapid response brief is research published since March 2020 focused on the MIECHV and the broader home visiting workforce, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on this workforce, and available data. We begin with a brief overview of the MIECHV program to provide context for the recent research. We also highlight the complexities in summarizing or doing research on the workforce delivering programs supported by this funding, and discuss the opportunities, challenges, and future research needs related to this workforce. (author summary)
- | Blog
Home visiting expert and former Start Early vice president for training, Janelle Weldin-Frisch, urges system leaders to think about their role to address persistent and pervasive issues of vacancy and turnover in home visiting programs. (author summary)
- | Article
COVID-19 has disrupted many of the preventive service sectors designed to promote infant mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine provider and supervisor transition strategies as well as maternal-child outcomes during the transition from in-person to virtual early childhood home visitation services in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County is one of the largest home visitation sectors in the U.S. and disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Transitioning from in-person to virtual home visitation was an important step in ensuring the continuity of infant mental health services. Home visitors reported relative ease in transitioning to virtual services themselves but noted that families encountered greater difficulty. The most helpful strategies to support this transition included training, ongoing reflective supervision, and provision of technology. Family level analysis revealed that positive screening rates for anxiety and depression decreased during the pandemic as did referrals for most support services. These findings likely highlight challenges in delivering virtual home visitation. Understanding how transitions in a key infant serving sector were managed serves an important role in forecasting for the future and preparing for future public heath emergencies. (author abstract)
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A reliance on in-home service delivery rendered early childhood home visiting vulnerable to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Local programs transitioned rapidly from in-home visits to virtual contact with families. (author summary)