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Healthy Families America Home Visiting (Baltimore County FY17 and Beyond - (ANNUAL)

Better Off: % of children enrolled in HV that do not have indicated cases of maltreatment following enrollment (ANNUAL)

Current Value

100%

FY 2023

Definition

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Story Behind the Curve

The family support specialists of the Healthy Families program diligently strive to teach positive parenting skills with a focus on pregnant women and parents facing difficult challenges including the following:

  • single parenthood;
  • poverty/low income;
  • childhood history of abuse and other adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s); and
  • current or previous issues related to behavioral health (substance use and/or mental health issues), and/or domestic violence.

Partners

  • Baltimore County Department of Health
  • Baltimore County Department of Social Services
  • Franklin Square Medical Center
  • Baltimore County Public Schools

What Works

One strategy recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the prevention of ACEs is to create nurturing parent-child relationships using an early childhood home visitation approach (CDC, 2019). The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) specifically lists Healthy Families America as a home visitation program supporting Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) prevention while indicating that “Home visitation programs have demonstrated significant reductions in rates of child abuse and neglect and have improved substance use, violence, and parenting outcomes” (JAMA, 2019).

 

Healthy Families is an evidence-based, voluntary home visiting program created by Prevent Child Abuse America. The program is designed to promote positive parenting, enhance child health and development, and prevent child abuse and neglect.  The Healthy Families Baltimore County program has been in operation since 2000, and services are provided to families residing throughout the County.

Data Discussion

The annual target percentage for children enrolled in home visiting that do not have indicated reports of child maltreatment following enrollment is 85% or greater.  A total of 99% or 90 of the 91 target children served had no indicated reports of child maltreatment during FY22.

 

Definition:

 

Indicated Cases of Maltreatment:  Child Protective Services investigation of a report of child maltreatment where the finding concludes that there is credible evidence, which has not been satisfactorily refuted, that child abuse did occur.

 

Unsubstantiated Cases of Maltreatment:  Child Protective Services investigation of a report of child maltreatment where the finding concludes that there is an insufficient amount of evidence to support a finding of “Indicated” or “Ruled Out.”

 

Ruled Out Cases of Maltreatment:  Child Protective Services investigation of a report of child maltreatment where the finding concludes that child abuse did not occur.

Measurement Tool Used

Clear Impact Suite is an easy-to-use, web-based software platform that helps your staff collaborate with external stakeholders and community partners by utilizing the combination of data collection, performance reporting, and program planning.

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