Basic Home Visitation Skills reasons to choose Basic Home Visitation Skills
Why “Basic” Skills for Home Visitors?

Home visitation is becoming one of the most recognized forms of providing health and human services to families in all walks of life. Many agencies have adopted family service programs, which include a home visitation component.

This training curriculum provides a novice home visitor with the basic skills needed to feel competent and relatively comfortable in making that first home visit.

For the experienced home visitor, this training provides not only a refresher course but also some opportunities to learn about new program materials and network with other home visitors for that much needed support home visitors require.

This training, coupled with the Nurturing Touch Training, which is often offered as a complement to the Basic Home Visitation Training, provides all home visitors with a nurturing perspective of building relationships while working with families.

The more nurturing skills a home visitor models, the more families will learn positive, nurturing skills bonding them together as a healthy family unit.

Home visitation also provides a primary accountability measure in the process to break the generational cycle of child maltreatment and family dysfunction while supporting other program curricula for participating families.

Training Evaluation Results

Testimonials of Participants from a Training held in Augusta, GA, Oct. 2006

(These were not edited and all evaluations comments are represented. Attendees were representatives of experienced and novice home visitors as well as several of their supervisors.)

I now realize:
  • That you do the best that you can do because you can’t fix all of the problems because there are not your problems
  • The importance of noticing your surroundings.
  • That although you may think that you are clear in your communication to your clients, it is always a good practice to repeat and review as often as needed.
  • How to listen more and be more observant.
  • I need to learn to increase my stress relaxation techniques.
  • There is a big difference between sympathy and empathy.
  • That working in this field you have to have a lot of compassion and concern for people in general.
  • How a client may feel when many agencies are involved in their case.
  • Setting priorities, ground rules, and role identification with clients in their setting is important.
  • The importance of being aware of not only my client, but there surroundings as well.
  • That my responsibility is to ensure that my client’s needs are being met.
  • The importance and effectiveness of home visitation
  • That I do a good job, but that there’s always room for improvement
  • The importance of recognizing your surroundings while in a client’s home
  • How important my role is as a home visitor.
  • The difference between ‘praise for doing’ and ‘praise for being’
  • What makes a good home visitor.
  • I need to build trust
  • Allow the client to determine priority of services (as appropriate).
  • Be more empathic.

I will do:

  • More role plays with my fellow staff members to help me be better prepared in various situations.
  • Continue to encourage the families I serve.
  • The safety plan that was presented.
  • Better planning for more effective home visits and produce case progress notes in a timely manner.
  • Make sure boundaries and limitations are set up front.
  • Observe more – slow down and listen more.
  • Listen more – talk less and develop a plan of action.
  • Use more “I” statements.
  • Be a more active listener.
  • Practice problem solving with the families I serve.
  • Help clients act; not solve the problem for them.
  • I will engage clients in more “hands-on” activities so they can better learn the skills they need to manage their families.
  • Pay more attention to my surroundings.
  • Set expectations with the family upon the initial home visit.
  • Set a plan with the family.
  • Support the family through empathy, using coping skills and role-modeling.
  • Be more aware.
  • Practice empathy.
  • Use open and not closed ended questions more often.
  • Use wisdom and knowledge to assist clients.
  • Use judgment when scheduling home visits.
  • Support and not enable clients to do / find resources as they problem solve.
  • Have better activities for the families to do while I’m working with them in their home.
  • Improve my communication skills.
  • Increase my observation skills.
  • Brainstorm with families on the initial visit to create a more clear understanding of their family’s needs, hopes and fears.
  • Accept the client as a person and not a task to be completed.
  • Support my client’s needs.

I will measure my success as follows:

  • To do my job to the best of my ability.
  • Progress with my clients and my clients displaying stability and independence.
  • Increase goals being set and accomplished according to the client’s treatment plan.
  • For my case load to al go to medicine management and so that I don’t have to have this job, because all families are being productive families!!!
  • How drained I am after visits.
  • Asking families if we are meeting their expectations.
  • Determining whether clients are meeting discharge criteria on the case plan.
  • Ability to encourage client, identify a plan, set priorities, see some type of positive change take place.
  • By how my interpersonal skills increase by using the information I have learned.
  • By what I am capable of doing in one day.
  • By assisting and treating clients / families with dignity and respect.
  • My becoming more empathic, improving communications and listening skills, and becoming more organized.
  • The families will improve as a family.
  • Improved rapport and trust with clients / families.
  • How client and staff respond to interventions and assist in planning, the feedback received.
  • By how well I serve my client’s needs.
  • How I feel at the end of the day and how the clients achieve success.
  • By how my clients improve with more positive behavior at home and at school.

How did this training / workshop provide the greatest value to you?

  • It gave me excitement to do my job better.
  • Allowed me to re-assess the way I have conducted home visits and ways for them to be more effective.
  • To help families be families.
  • Relate and educate my client having a better understand of how to effectively conduct home visits.
  • See client’s point of view as we come into their home, think about client’s expectations and see the importance of considering them and helping them define their own expectations.
  • Great reinforcement.
  • It has sharpened my skills and allowed me to TD the short comings I have.
  • Because it opened my eyes to reality and safety issues of being a home visitor.
  • Educated me on how to have a more effective visit with clients and parents.
  • It showed me a way to improve my weak areas.
  • Provided basic guidelines to adhere to while on home visits.
  • Made me aware of my roles while serving families.
  • How to better structure a home visit.
  • Accepting the client.
  • It will help me do my job more efficiently.Additional Comments:Information was given in a positive hands-on, knowledgeable, supportive, self-help fashion.

Additional Comments:

Information was given in a positive hands-on, knowledgeable, supportive, self-help fashion.