Home Visitation Program
11601 S. Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90047
Program info 323.242.5000 x8611
Launched in 2014, SHIELDS’ Home Visitation Program provides intensive in-home parenting, child development and support services to mothers and infants. The Home Visitation Program is part of First 5 Los Angeles’ County-wide strategic approach to creating and nurturing strong, coordinated and responsive systems in supporting families and improving outcomes for children prenatal through age 5.
SHIELDS’ Home Visitation Program is designed to impact the most fundamental influence on the lives of young children: their families. Stable, safe and reliable relationships with adults and caregivers are a critical factor in children’s optimal development and well-being. Home Visiting services are designed to serve as the primary resource for high risk pregnant women and new parents, and to ensure that they receive effective, evidence-based physical and behavioral health supports.
Target Population
SHIELDS’ Home Visitation program serves at-risk pregnant and parenting women and their children ages 0-5 who are referred through SHIELDS’ Welcome Baby program.
Services Provided
Our services strengthen families through comprehensive and collaborative services including home-based case management, parenting and child development, early childhood education (ECE) activities, and linkage and referral to a wide range of supportive services.
Participants in SHIELDS’ Home Visitation Program receive services pursuant to one of two evidence-based programs, Healthy Families America or Parents as Teachers. Healthy Families America (HFA) is a nationally recognized home visitation program model designed to work with overburdened families who are at-risk for child abuse and neglect and other adverse childhood experiences. Parents as Teachers (PAT) is an early childhood parent education and family support program serving families from pregnancy up to the child’s 5th birthday or enrollment in kindergarten.
Under the HFA model, families receive regular home visits for up to five years and individualized service planning including needs assessments and follow-up services. Child development and parenting activities are available during home visits and at program offices, including educational support, recreational play and structured parent-child interaction. Program staff also conduct developmental, nutritional and environmental screenings and assessments to monitor the developmental progress of children.
Under the PAT model, families receive regular home visits averaging two times a month for up to five years and individualized service planning including needs assessments and follow-up services. The Parents as Teachers Foundational Curriculum guides child development and parenting activities, including parent education, group social activities for families, and structured parent-child interaction. Program staff also conduct developmental, nutritional and environmental screenings and assessments to monitor the developmental progress of children.
Finally, participants in both program models receive linkage and referral services to additional child development services available through SHIELDS’ Healthy Start program, to additional substance abuse and mental health treatment programs at SHIELDS and other community-based providers, and to our collaborative networks that provide housing, food, clothing, and transportation for those in need.
Community Partnerships
SHIELDS’ Home Visitation Program is funded by First 5 Los Angeles, and operates in close collaboration with St. Francis Medical Center and a wide range of health care providers to establish and broaden access to high-quality, culturally competent primary medical and behavioral health services for women and their children. Local participating hospitals include St. Francis, California Hospital, Centinela Hospital, and Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.
Necessary supportive services are provided in coordination with a variety of County and State agencies, including the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, Rehabilitation, Public and Social Services, and Children and Family Services. Services and supports for vocational and educational training and job development activities are provided in partnership with the Compton Regional Job Training Center, Compton Adult School, Jordan-Locke Community Adult School, Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, and Harbor College.
