HOMEBUILDERS (Birth to Age 5)®
Last updated: 2011
In brief
Evidence of model effectiveness
This model does not meet the criteria established by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for an “evidence-based early childhood home visiting service delivery model” for the general population or for tribal populations because there are no high- or moderate-rated effectiveness studies of the model.
Model description
HOMEBUILDERS is designed for families with children at risk for placement in state-funded care. The program aims to prevent the unnecessary out-of-home placement of children by teaching families problem-solving skills through intensive, in-home crisis intervention, counseling, and life-skills. Five characteristics categorize the services offered through HOMEBUILDERS: (1) intervention at the crisis point (client families are seen within 24 hours of referral); (2) treatment in the natural setting (almost all services take place in the client’s home and community); (3) accessibility and responsiveness (therapists are on call to their clients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week); (4) research-based interventions (therapists use research-based interventions, including crisis intervention, motivational interviewing, parent education, skill building, and cognitive/behavioral therapy); and (5) flexibility (services are provided when and where the clients wish and therapists provide a wide range of services based on the clients’ needs). For more information, please read the Model Overview.
Extent of evidence
For more information, see the research database. For more information on the criteria used to rate research, please see details of HomVEE’s methods and standards.
Criteria established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Notes: If the model does not meet criterion 3 but meets criteria 1 and 2 based on findings from subgroups, the impacts must be replicated in the same domain in two or more studies using non-overlapping analytic study samples. HomVEE assesses and reports criteria 4 and 5 for all models that have well-designed research, but meeting those two criteria is only required of models for which all findings are from randomized controlled trials. Please read the HHS criteria for evidence-based models for more information.