Provide physical and mental health care at home for children and their families
“[Our Nurse] has been the support system that we didn’t know we needed. She helped me become the mom I never knew I could be. When we reach new milestones, she is the first person we call.”
-Nurse-Family Partnership Mom
“I’ve dealt with a lot of different people. I’ve had a lot of therapists and a lot of bad experiences, and I can tell you I never once felt prejudged by [my Child First care team].”
-Child First caregiver
Location: United States
Changent operates across the United States using a community health model to provide free health services to children and their families in their homes through its two programs, Nurse-Family Partnership and Child First.
Nurse-Family Partnership trains registered nurses to provide services for first-time parents beginning in early pregnancy through a child’s second birthday. During home visits, nurses assess both mothers and their children for early warning signs of illness or developmental problems during pregnancy, postpartum, infancy, and early childhood. They also connect families to resources like social services and healthcare when needed and support developing positive parenting skills.
Child First provides home-based mental health and support services for families who have experienced trauma and other adversities or whose children are experiencing emotional or behavioral challenges. Families that are either expecting a child or have a child under the age of 5 are paired with a two-person care team: a licensed mental health professional and a care coordinator. The mental health professional provides family counseling while the care coordinator connects families with services and resources that support healthy child development.
A long-term study of Child First found a 68% decrease in child language problems, a 64% decrease in maternal mental health problems, and a 40% reduction in child welfare services after the conclusion of the program.[1] Long-term randomized control trials show that at age 6, compared to control groups, Nurse-Family Partnership children were 48% less likely to experience abuse and had 67% fewer behavioral and intellectual problems.[2]
Learn more: https://changent.org/
More ways to help
In Asia and Africa, BRAC uses a community health model focusing on mothers and their young children. Friendship Bench provides mental health care through talk therapy delivered by community health workers.
For more guidance and organizations working in community health, see CHIP’s Community-Based Approaches to Health Guide. For more CHIP guidance on mental health care, see Health in Mind
Notes
[1] Lowell, D. I., Carter, A. S., Godoy, L., Paulicin, B., & Briggs-Gowan, M. J. (2011). A randomized controlled trial of Child FIRST: A comprehensive home-based intervention translating research into early childhood practice. Child Development, 82(1), 193–208. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01550.x
[2] Olds, D.L., et al. (1997). Long-Term Effects of Home Visitation on Maternal Life Course and Child Abuse and Neglect Fifteen-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Trial. JAMA 1997.; Olds DL, et al. (2004). Effects of nurse home visiting on maternal life-course and child development: age-six follow-up of a randomized trial. Pediatrics 2004.