Health home visiting for vulnerable families: what has occurred and what is yet to arrive?

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doi:10.1071/PY11035

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Health home visiting for vulnerable families: what has occurred and what is yet to arrive?

Joanne M. Stubbs ^A ^B and Helen M. Achat ^A

^A Epidemiology, Health Reform Transitional Office Western, Cumberland Hospital Campus, Locked Bag 7118, Parramatta BC, NSW 2124, Australia.
^B Corresponding author. Email: joanne.stubbs@wsahs.nsw.gov.au

Australian Journal of Primary Health 18(1) 23-30 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/PY11035
Submitted: 29 March 2011 Accepted: 11 August 2011 Published: 21 November 2011





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Abstract

Sustained health home visiting (SHHV) is a valuable means of implementing early intervention for vulnerable families with infants or young children. This first of a two-part report describes clients and identifies nurses’ activities with or on behalf of clients as part of a pilot SHHV program undertaken within a socioeconomically disadvantaged suburban area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. A forthcoming report describes the results of the intervention. Child and family health nurses visited vulnerable clients who were pregnant and/or had an infant aged 36 months or younger. Interventions consisted of direct and indirect (i.e. services involving a third party) client contact. Nurses documented all activities undertaken with or on behalf of clients using pre-determined codes. Over 29 months, the program accepted 136 referrals and 118 (87%) consented to the evaluation. Families had a mean of eight risk factors, which commonly included current mental health symptoms or disorders (49%), a history or current experience of domestic violence (51%) and being known to the Department of Community Services (40%). Nurses’ most frequent interventions addressed the main carer’s emotional and health needs, and infant development. Clients’ level of need required coordinated care from a specialised multidisciplinary team, which was unavailable to program clients and their families.

Additional keyword: community health.

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