Quality home visits: Activities to promote meaningful interactions

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Family Support Programs
• Home Visiting Interventions

Background:

• Family support programs are expanding nationwide.
• High-quality home visiting practices are crucial for program success.
• Understanding factors influencing home visit quality is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between interaction partners, content, and activities during home visits.
• To assess the impact of these factors on the quality of home visiting practices.
• To determine the influence on family member engagement in home visits.

Main Methods:

• Direct observation of 91 home visits involving 41 home visitors.
• Utilized the Home Visit Rating Scale-Revised (HOVRS-R) for quality assessment.
• Measured family engagement using the Home Visit Observation Rating Scales.

Main Results:

• Increased time in triadic interactions with child-focused content correlated with higher family engagement.
• Extended time on adult-focused interactions and administrative tasks was linked to lower practice and engagement quality.
• Specific interaction dynamics significantly predict home visit outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Child-centered, triadic interactions are key to effective home visiting.
• Minimizing adult-focused discussions and administrative duties can enhance program quality.
• Findings inform practice improvements for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program.