Early Childhood Home Visitation: To Prevent Violence by Parents (Other Than Child Maltreatment)

Task Force Finding*

Home visitation programs try to reduce violence by visited parents by (1) facilitating the development of parental life skills, (2) strengthening family social support, and (3) facilitating links to community services.

Evidence is insufficient to determine the effectiveness of home visitation programs for the prevention of violence by visited parents. Although a single study of greatest design suitability and good execution indicated some reductions in violence, these results were statistically significant only in a study subsample (i.e., that of single, low-socioeconomic-status mothers).

*From the following publication:

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to reduce violence through early childhood home visitation, therapeutic foster care, and firearms laws. [PDF - 71KB] Am J Prev Med 2005;28(2S1):6-10.

Review completed: February 2002