Healthy Families America, or HFA, is a nationally recognized evidence-based Home Visiting model designed to help children do well and stop child abuse and neglect. It is a key program from Prevent Child Abuse America.
HFA is based on the idea that warm, caring relationships early in life help children grow and develop in healthy ways. Home visitors and families build strong relationships, encourage positive parent-child bonds and healthy attachment, and focus on the family’s strengths. The program values the family’s individual needs and reflection.
Each HFA location chooses which families to serve and works with partners in the community to reach them. Every family goes through an assessment to see if there are factors that could increase the risk of child harm but also to find the family’s strengths and what helps protect them.
Families can start with the program before the baby is born or up to six months after birth. HFA offers at least one home visit per week for the first six months. After that, visits are based on what the family needs and how they are doing.