Home Visiting Program and Practice Resources

Program management

The MDH FHV Program is committed to supporting home visiting programs that provide strength-based services leading to positive, measurable outcomes for infants, toddlers and their families. Information to support program management is offered throughout the MDH Family Home Visiting website.

• Minnesota Coalition for Targeted Home Visiting (MCTHV): For dates of meetings and meeting minutes: MN Targeted Home Visiting
• Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH): This association offers trainings, resources, fact sheets, information on crisis response and information on Infant Mental Health (IMH): Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health
• Community Engagement: The Center for Public Health Practice provides leadership, technical assistance, consultation, planning support and performance measurement to state and local partners.
• Sustainability:
  • Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) Provider Billing Resources Department of Human Services Provider Billing
  • MDH FHV Funding and Grants Management
  • MDH FHV Data and Evaluation

Mandated reporting

• Department of Human Services (DHS) Information on Child protection/ Mandated Reporting
• Shaken Baby Syndrome: MDH Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative

Linguistically and culturally diverse populations

Including a cultural lens in programming may enhance engagement and retention of families. ‘Culture’ may be thought of in terms or race or ethnicity but might include other things that are outside of program’s staff experience, such as poverty or rural challenges. Strategies such as Motivational Interviewing and Reflective Practice are one method to address cross-cultural work. Other resources include:

• Ages and Stages Resources for using an interpreter Best practices for using an interpreter for ASQ completion infographic (Brookes Publishing).
• MDH Refugee Health Information from MDH including, provider guide, health education materials for refugees, topics and directories for organizations serving refugees.
• African American Babies Coalition and Projects at Wilder African American families and communities will claim our cultural heritage so that our babies will thrive, excel and lead us into the future. This website contains information developed by our community for our community.
• MDH Family Home Visiting Information for Tribal Nations Information for Minnesota Tribal Home Visiting Staff.
• The National CLAS Standards are a set of 15 action steps intended to advance health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities by providing a blueprint for individuals and health and health care organizations to implement culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
• Health Information in Multiple Languages-All Health Topics: MedlinePlus Free printable translations of many health topics: National Library of Medicine Health Reach (birth control, domestic violence, vaccines and more). English versions also available.
• Limited English Proficiency (LEP) interactive map: LEP Gov Maps. This map provides information about what languages might be spoken in your county. Once on this page, click on Language Map App. Enlarge the map to view individual counties, click on your county and a pie chart will pop up. Scroll over this chart to see the number of people who speak each language.

Home visiting strategies

A promising practice for Minnesota home visiting programs is to provide visiting in the context of a trusting relationship. Reflective practice supports relationship building. Motivational interviewing is a strategy that supports parents in making changes by identifying what they want to change and when they are ready.

• Reflective Practice (RP) in home visiting This document describes the basic elements of reflective practice and how it supports relationship building in home visiting.
• Motivational Interviewing (MI) A strategy that supports home visitors developing partnerships with parents when setting goals and developing home visiting service plans.

Parent education resources

Positive parent-child interactions are powerful protective factors for children. The hallmark of these positive interactions are caregivers being responsive to the child and focused on the child. Interactions include clear developmentally appropriate behavior guidance and parent expectations. Parenting handouts, videos and curriculum can support the home visitor in talking to parents about many aspects of parenting and parent-child relationships.

• Help Me Grow Short videos and information to use with parents about developmental milestones, covering cognitive, communication and language, social and emotional, and motor milestones. Help me Grow MN Developmental Milestones.
• CDC Learn the Signs Act Early Resources that offers parent friendly developmental milestone checklists, handouts, and other free materials.
• Zero To Three parenting resources Handouts and videos on various parenting topics and resources for professionals.
• Text 4 Baby App may be used with Android or Apple. Texts are short messages about baby, starting at pregnancy.
• Breastfeeding is Healthy for Babies but it's not always easy. For more information: MDH WIC Breastfeeding
• ASQ Users Manuals and ASQ Learning Activities Manuals include activities by age and by learning, as well as articles on specific topics. Brookes Publishing Resource Library
• CDC Positive Parenting Developmentally specific milestones and parenting tips to use with families in English and Spanish.
• Partners in Parenting Education (PIPE) Curriculum is evidence-based and available for programs not affiliated with a home visiting model. How to Read Your Baby: PIPE
• National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse Information for programs that include, protective factors, toolkits, handouts, tips, videos and ideas for involving and supporting fathers as parents.
• CDC Pregnancy and Vaccination Provides information on vaccines needed before or while an individual is pregnant.
• Vaccines for Infants, Children, and Adolescents Information for parents on recommended vaccines.
• Free or Low-cost Shots for Children Information for parents on how to find free or low-cost shots for their children.

Substance use

Research has shown that maternal substance use, including the use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs, can increase the occurrence of sexually transmitted diseases and placental abruption. The effects of maternal substance use on infants include decreased birth weight and complications with the central and autonomic nervous systems.

The following is a list of local and national resources pertinent to substance use:

• Quit Plan Services and Starter Kit Information about stopping smoking cigarettes.
• Department of Human Services (DHS) Alcohol, Drug and other addictions: Program Overviews
• MDH Information about Alcohol and Other Drugs
• PROOF Alliance (Formerly Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - MOFAS)
• Information from the March of Dimes for parents about effects of drug use on baby, how to stop, birth control, list of drugs that are considered Opioids, symptoms and more.
  • Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)
  • Substance Abuse Prevention Screening, Education and Referral Resource Guide for Local WIC Agencies