The Home Visitation Services (HVS) program of MBCH Children and Family Ministries is provided in a partnership with Lutheran Family and Children Services. This program is being provided throughout Jackson and Cass Counties. HVS is designed to provide support and services to children and families experiencing factors or situations that put them at risk for separation. Target clients are families prenatally and for at least three years after the birth of the baby or three years after enrollment (whichever is later). Services for a focus child will not be provided past five years of age. Services provided will be uniquely designed with each family to assist them in the challenging circumstances that put them at risk and will assist them in gaining the knowledge, skills, and resources that allow them to remain safely together as a family. HVS Specialists partner with parents/caregivers as they learn about ways to nurture a lifelong bond with their children, build knowledge about child development, including appropriate discipline, increase confidence in their parenting abilities, work towards reducing stress while learning self-care, and find joy in parenting! HVS will utilize Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), an evidence-based trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI® uses Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors. While the intervention is based on years of attachment, sensory processing, and neuroscience research, the heartbeat of TBRI® is connection. HVS Specialists will be trained to intentionally make connections with the children and families they are serving, while also facilitating stronger connections within the family. HVS will also have a focus on connecting children and families to natural helpers in the community and thereby building the social & relational capital of families.
Believing that the best place for a child to grow up is in a family, our practice model is intended to effectively promote child and family permanency and well-being. HVS uses the Nurturing Parenting curriculum to build families’ skills. Several assessments are completed throughout the various developmental stages to ensure children are on target or are being referred for additional services as needs arise. The Healthy Families of America model is also followed, which allows for a Family Resilience and Opportunities for Growth (FROG) Scale to be completed to develop a Service Plan that identifies strategies and goals to reduce risks while strengthening the family.
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