Maternal Infant & Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV)

Background of MIECHV

Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) provides an unprecedented opportunity for collaboration and partnership at the Federal, State, and community levels to improve health and development outcomes for at-risk children through evidence-based home visiting programs

PURPOSE

To improve maternal and child health, early childhood development, and family well-being of pregnant people and parents with children up to kindergarten entry — especially those living in communities identified as at risk for poor maternal and child health outcomes — by supporting the delivery of coordinated and comprehensive high-quality and voluntary early childhood home visiting services to eligible families.

GOALS

1. Identify and provide comprehensive home visiting services to eligible families living in communities that face barriers to achieving positive maternal and child health outcomes
2. Strengthen and improve programs and activities that address preventive and primary care services for pregnant people, infants and children under Title V of the Social Security Act.
3. Improve coordination of services within ‘at-risk communities’ that are identified in the approved statewide needs assessment as at risk for poor maternal and child health outcomes.

Indiana MIECHV

Indiana has an outstanding history of implementing a comprehensive, high-quality early childhood system characterized by multiple collaborative efforts and leaders committed to the health and well-being of mothers and children. Both MIECHV co-lead partnering agencies, the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) and Department of Child Services (DCS) have long-standing histories of addressing needs of women and children through home visiting, as well as other programs and initiatives that contribute to a comprehensive, high quality early childhood system throughout the state.

The vision of Indiana MIECHV is to improve health and development outcomes for children and families who are at risk through achievement of the following goals:

• Provide home visiting services to expectant families with young children residing in Indiana who have lower incomes and are at higher risk of adverse health and developmental outcomes to improve their health and well-being.
• Develop a system of coordinated services statewide of existing and newly developed home visiting programs in order to provide need-based, targeted, and unduplicated services and locally coordinated referrals to all eligible children, mothers, and families
• Coordinate necessary services outside of home visiting programs to address needs of participants, which may include: mental health, primary care, dental health, children with special needs, substance use, childhood injury prevention, child abuse/neglect/maltreatment, school readiness, housing, employment training, and adult education programs.

These goals are measured in six statutorily mandated benchmark areas:

1. Improved maternal and newborn health;
2. Reduction in child injuries, abuse, neglect, or maltreatment and reduction of emergency department visits;
3. Improvements in school readiness and achievement;
4. Crime or domestic violence;
5. Family economic self-sufficiency;
6. Coordination and referrals for other community resources.

Contact

For more information about MIECHV in Indiana, please contact idohmch@health.in.gov or click the following links:

• Healthy Families America
• Healthy Families Indiana
• Nurse-Family Partnership
• Nurse-Family Partnership in Indiana
• Federal MIECHV