Thank you for your interest in the Family Connects newborn home visiting program. The program is a unique evidence-based, universal approach to supporting newborns and their families. Using a tested screening assessment tool, Family Connects assesses family strengths and needs in order to linking families to community resources. Unlike targeted longer term home visiting programs, which use demographic risk to determine services, Family Connects' families are only offered services they need, regardless of demographic risk. In some cases, Family Connects recommends enrollment in targeted programs when they are eligible, such as Healthy Families America, Early Head Start, Nurse Family Partnership, and others. This linkage makes the Family Connects an excellent gateway to more intensive parenting services.

The goals of Family Connects are:

1. Connect with every mother (along with the father and other family supports) in their home after the birth of a newborn.  The home visits are designed to share the joy of a new baby, assess unique family risks and needs, and respond to immediate family needs for support and guidance.
2.  Nurse visitors offer supportive guidance in several factors, responding specifically to family questions about newborn care.
3. Nurse home visitors are able to connect families to community services well matched to their needs and preferences, based on individually identified vulnerabilities.
4. The projected outcome is to connect new parents with their infant with the confidence and support needed for infant and parent health, mental health, child development, and overall well-being for the family.

To learn about the results of a randomized controlled trial of the Durham Connects pilot, please visit the Results page.

Download an introduction to the Family Connects model

Organizations or municipalities considering implementing the Family Connects model should consider the following questions:

• What is your overall budget for implementation of the program? Typical cost to implement Connects to high fidelity/certification is $700/eligible birth.
• What entity will administer the program?
• What is your sustainability plan?
• Who are your community stakeholders?
• How will you access births in a given geographic area?
• What time commitment and funds are available for implementation support and training to launch the program?

If your agency is interested in the model, please review the Introduction (download link above) and discuss with us a plan that fits you needs. The first step will be an individually negotiated plan for what your site needs to become a Family Connects provider.