Friday, April 19, 2024
4/19/2024
Project Title: Building Equitable Career Pathways for Home Visiting Applicant Organization Name: Iowa Department of Public Health Address: 321 E 12th Street, Des Moines, IA. 50319 Project Director Name: Janet Nickell Horras Contact Phone Number: 515-954-0647 Email Address: Janet.Horras@idph.iowa.gov Website Address: https://idph.iowa.gov/family-health/family-support Grant Program Funds Requested: $4,000,000 Funding Priority Area: Track One, Priority Areas 4 and 3 Annotation: This application is a collaborative project between the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Virginia Department of Health to meet the home visiting workforce needs of the two states. The innovation that is being proposed is to develop an interactive learning experience application (app) that is competency based to provide career pathways for home visitors as a recruitment and retention strategy for the field. This interactive learning experience will be developed as a cloud based solution, accessed via a software application (app) developed specifically for this project. The project will assist in growing the home visiting workforce with persons that reflect the cultural and linguistic needs of the families served and improve equity among home visiting participants, populations and systems. Problem: The home visiting workforce has experienced issues in retention of staff, which are exacerbated due to COVID-19. Additionally, research indicates that the current home visiting workforce is not reflective of the families served. Home visitors without lived expertise, including parenting, have a steep climb to build working relationships with home visiting participants. Home visitors who more closely reflect the lived experiences and, understand the culture, and speak the language of the parents being served have an easier time engaging in a meaningful relationship partnership with parents. Purpose: This project will address issues in recruitment and retention of home visi tors, while implementing approaches that build a more equitable and representative workforce. The project will utilize technology to assess relational competence of parents and map their readiness to enter the home visiting workforce. The project will also ensure that home visiting supervisors are prepared to assist the new home visitor to be fully successful and retained. Goals and Objectives: The project has seven major goals; 1) Implement a framework to measure relational competencies, 2) Create a career pathway for non-traditional home visitors, 3) Create preservice professional development, 4) Increase equity and access to professional development content, 5) Enhance organizational readiness, 6) Decrease home visitor isolation resulting in increased retention, 7) Increase the available data and research on the home visiting workforce. Methodology: The proposed innovation will improve equity within professional development, and strengthen recruitment and retention of a representative home visiting workforce with superb relational skills, through accessible, relevant, and relational online learning. Further, this project will enhance organizational readiness by providing additional supports for supervisors that lead to improved retention and decreased isolation of home visitors.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
