Helping new parents meet the challenges that surround the birth of their child is the focus of our Healthy Families America (HFA) initiative. By providing intensive home visiting services beginning at birth or soon after, HFA reaches parents at a crucial time to help build parenting skills. Recognizing that parents' ability to care for their children is affected when their lives are complicated by substance abuse, social isolation, or poverty, HFA also offers assistance in overcoming these problems. When these obstacles are removed, parents are more able to responsibly care for their children and enjoy their growth and development.

Launched in 1992, in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities, HFA seeks to establish a voluntary home visitor system for all new parents nationwide. The effort is based on over two decades of research and the experiences of numerous communities across the country. Home visitor programs that are intensive, comprehensive, and well-integrated into other community services are very effective in strengthening families, enhancing child health and development, and assuring that parents will access the resources they need to care for themselves and their children.

The HFA initiative operates most effectively in partnership with existing programs that focus on early intervention. In the short history of HFA, partnerships have been established with twenty organizations, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension System, the American Hospital Association, and the American Nurses Association. In 1995, we added as partners National Head Start Association, National Indian Child Welfare Association, Illinois Department of Public Health, Effective Parenting for Children (EPIC), and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In 1995, the NCPCA chapters continued to work with the statewide affiliates of these national partners, other steering committee members, and the HFA sites to establish comprehensive home visiting services throughout the state. Our chapters help ensure the that HFA programs meet local needs without duplicating efforts. To assure high-quality individualized programs, in 1995, NCPCA continued to provide on-site assistance to the states and to develop materials for use by state planning teams. As more and more programs were designed in conjunction with existing services, such as Head Start, we continued to work to integrate our training processes with others.

The long-term success of HFA hinges on establishing and maintaining quality at each site. A set of critical elements is central to the success of HFA. As the number of sites grows, it becomes necessary to ensure adherence to the elements. In 1995, in partnership with the National Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children, we developed a mechanism to credential HFA sites.

Given the scope and variety of individuals and organizations involved in the HFA effort, it is important that they come together to share their experiences. In October 1995, the second annual HFA Conference was held in Chicago in conjunction with the annual NCPCA Leadership Conference. Over 600 participants, including chapter staff, board members, volunteers, service providers, and advocates attended this exciting meeting.

Although the HFA initiative has evolved more quickly than even the most optimistic forecast, each stage of development is accompanied by new challenges.

With proposed changes in federal policy and a greater role for states in decision making, the competition for resources will increase. To address these reforms, our emphasis will be on cultivating leadership and expertise at the state level.

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