The Outcome/Impact Evaluation report contrasts national prevalence statistics available for factors such as smoking and breastfeeding with the outcomes reported for Family Start clients. These should be interpreted with caution because Family Start clients are not equivalent in composition to the population as a whole. The latter include a much broader range of families, the majority of whom are not experiencing as many difficulties as those eligible for Family Start.
Family Start is a key component in an early intervention approach. International evidence shows that high intensity, home-based early intervention programmes are able to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families. By providing such an intensive targeted home visiting service to families with the highest needs, Family Start can make an important contribution to early intervention with vulnerable children.
As a consequence the Government has made improvements to, and continued to invest in, the Family Start programme since the evaluation was undertaken. These improvements were informed by the Family Start Process Evaluation, contract monitoring and international evidence.
Purpose
The main objectives set by the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and CYF for the outcome evaluation are:
- to determine the short-term outcomes for children and their families who participate in the Family Start programme
- to identify how Family Start influences, and is influenced by, other service delivery agencies in the local community and thepossible effects of this on outcomes for children and their families
- to identify ways in which the Family Start programme can be altered or improved to better meet the needs of children and their families.
Key Results
Improvements that were made from 1 July 2004 included:
- training on provider governance and management arrangements
- a mandatory requirement that supervisors have tertiary qualifications
- memoranda of understanding between Family Start sites and CYF on referrals and notifications of child abuse and neglect
- a more comprehensive needs assessment tool
- new tangible indicators relating to the Family Start outcomes
The new tangible indicators have been written into service provider contracts to give workers greater guidance. These indicators include ensuring that:
- families are enrolled for and receive regular dental check-ups
- families are regularly seen by a Well Child/Tamariki Ora provider
- all children receive their prescribed pre-school immunisations
- support is provided to mothers to encourage breastfeeding for at least the first six months of life
- children are enrolled in and attend early childhood education programmes
- children and families are well prepared for school entry
- families have been assisted to establish stable home environments
- CYF are promptly notified of any care and protection concerns for children