Home Visiting Programs Can Help Prevent Child Abuse

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Preventing child abuse is a community effort, and according to experts at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, Home Visiting Programs can help.

Home Visiting Programs are available to expectant mothers and new parents who need extra support.

Visits are ongoing, and provided by nurses, paraprofessionals, and trained volunteers during pregnancy and afterward for families with children under age 5, depending on the program. There, expectant mothers and parents of young children receive parenting help, educational resources, and emotional support.

“The wellbeing of a mother and her child can be impacted by stressors and other factors outside their control, including poverty or food or housing insecurity, which also can put them at risk for developing chronic health problems later in life,” said Angelo P. Giardino, MD, PhD, chair of the University of Utah School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and chief medical officer at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.

“Home visits give parents the tools and support they need to create a safe and nurturing environment for their babies,” Giardino added. “They can transformative for families and for the growth and health of the child.”

Home visits can boost child and maternal health, decrease stress, reduce substantiated reports for child abuse and neglect, and have positive impacts on children’s cognitive development, behavior, and school performance, according to Casey Family Programs.

Home Visiting Program services are varied, and available throughout Utah. In Weber County, Intermountain Health is coordinating in-home visiting programs with Prevent Child Abuse Utah and the United Way of Northern Utah’s Welcome Baby Program.

Intermountain Health plans to expand access to high-quality visiting programs through its Primary Promise philanthropic initiative to create the nation’s model health system for children.

Women interested in participating in home visiting programs can talk to their doctor or midwife about a referral, or visit HomeVisiting.Utah.gov or the Prevent Child Abuse Utah website.

For more information on children’s health, visit IntermountainHealth.org or PrimaryChildrens.org.

To support the Primary Promise Healthy Kids initiative, visit PrimaryPromise.org.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.