Research to Practice

 
Background

HFNY currently conducts a “two-step” enrollment process whereby one worker assesses a family for program services and another worker provides services and ongoing support. The Family Assessment Worker (FAW) conducts the Parent Survey (PS) to inform a family’s eligibility for services as well as their needs and strengths. If a family is deemed eligible for services, the information from the PS is shared with a Family Support Worker (FSW) who then visits the family. While this “warm handoff” recognizes the different skill sets needed for assessments and home visits, some families may find it difficult to connect with the FAW only to be told she will not be the person providing services.

In contrast, other Healthy Families programs utilize a “one-step” or “combined” enrollment process whereby the same worker conducts the PS and maintains the family on her caseload. In this process, the PS is only used to collect information, not to determine program eligibility. This provides continuity for the family and allows for rapport between the family and the home visitor to be established early.

In 2015, HFNY formed a “Combined Enrollment Committee” to research this process. After conversations with one-step programs to discuss the benefits and challenges of combined enrollment, it was decided that a pilot project should be conducted to determine the utility of this process for HFNY.


Pilot Project Description

Overview of Participation
The pilot project involves three sites across NYS. The first site began the pilot in January, 2018; the second site began in June, 2018; the third site is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2018. Each site will participate in the pilot for about three years. This will allow enough time for an analysis of enrollment and retention rates pre-and post-combined enrollment.

Prior to beginning the pilot, all workers at the sites are being cross-trained (to conduct assessments and home visits). Workers are also being trained on the “Welcome Family Visit,” in which the HFNY worker provides the family with additional information about the program, engages the family in a fun activity, and answers any questions. Throughout their participation in the pilot, sites will be provided with support from the Central Administration team; the pilot is viewed as a collaborative effort, with ongoing feedback from the sites.
Expected Outcomes
Data from each of the pilot sites pre-and post-combined enrollment will be analyzed to determine the impact of the pilot. A process and an outcome evaluation will be conducted to address the following:

Process Evaluation
  • Was staff receptive to the pilot study? Why/why not?
  • Did newly trained workers feel comfortable conducting assessments and home visits? Why/why not?
  • How did workers feel about the Welcome Family Visit (benefits, challenges etc.)?
  • What, if any, barriers were encountered in moving to a combined process?
Outcome evaluation
  • Did the timeframe between screen and enrollment decrease?
  • Did enrollment rates improve?
  • Did retention rates improve?
Based on earlier conversations with one-step programs, it is expected that enrollment and retention rates will increase, as families will benefit from having the consistency of the same person conduct the parent survey and provide services

Findings from the evaluation will inform any needed changes to the model and will determine whether or not HFNY should move to a combined enrollment process statewide.
Important Links

Research Brief - Changes in Assessment scores after Implementation of One-Step Process Pilot 2015-2020

Healthy Families New York: Findings from a Pilot Study of Enrollment Processes

Healthy Families New York: Findings from a Three-Year Pilot Study of Enrollment Practices