- | Report
In this chapter, the committee briefly describes the impact of nurse wellbeing, then presents a framework for well-being in the context of the health care professions. The chapter examines aspects of nurses’ physical, mental, social, and moral well-being and health, and concludes with a review of approaches for addressing nurses’ health and well-being in various areas. (author summary)
- | Brief
Home visiting programs can alleviate workforce issues and promote home visitors’ job satisfaction and retention by reducing job stressors and providing protective supports.
This brief summarizes the existing research to answer four questions:
What factors contribute to home visitors’ mental health and well-being? How do home visitors’ mental health and well-being influence service quality? How can home visiting programs reduce stressors and support home visitors? What are the implications for research and practice? (author summary)
- | Report
This plan, Strengthening Home Visiting in Los Angeles County, was developed at a time of widespread commitment to supporting families and improving outcomes for young families. It is intended to serve as a blueprint for transformation—a guide for building coordination and strategic investment that our families and future generations deserve. It will serve as a core framework on which to develop and layer more detailed implementation plans for County departments and partners to execute wherein universal home visiting may play a crucial role in a comprehensive set of strategies designed to maximize outcomes for young children and their families. (author summary)
- | Brief
This brief describes the results of a survey that collected Community Health Worker (CHW) responses over three weeks in June 2020 to understand the needs of CHWs and how employers can best support CHWs to protect themselves, provide services safely and adapt services to the changing environment. (author summary)
- | Article
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)
- | 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)
- | 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)
- | 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)
- | Article
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 how to 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)
- | Article
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)