Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-Visiting Program (MECSH) Meets HHS Criteria

Model effectiveness research report last updated: 2023

Model overview

Theoretical approach

The Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-Visiting Program (MECSH)* model expands traditional postpartum care by providing home visiting services during and after pregnancy that are designed to enhance maternal and child outcomes. Based on an ecological framework, MECSH addresses issues at the individual, family, and community levels that affect the health and well-being of families and children. The child-focused, health-promoting prevention model supports families using an individualized and strengths-based approach. The model strives to establish a sustained, trusting partnership between the family and the home visitor. To achieve the child’s and family’s potential, the home visitor supports the development of the family’s abilities to adapt and self-manage. MECSH also builds the skills of health practitioners and the capacity of the health services system to promote positive outcomes in the broader community.

* The model was formerly known as the Miller Early Childhood Sustained Home-Visiting program.

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Model services

MECSH provides individualized, home-based services focusing on parent education, maternal health and well-being, parent-child relationships, family relationships, and goal setting. MECSH includes a set of core elements—the MECSH core curriculum, the Learning to Communicate curriculum, and components of the Promoting First Relationships® curriculum—that agencies must implement.

The MECSH core curriculum focuses on child, parental, and family health and development; identifying family aspirations; goal setting; and building the parent’s capacity to adapt, self-manage, and parent effectively despite day-to-day difficulties. A series of modules using evidence-based curricula, called focus modules, may be added to the core model. The program sites and developer work together to select focus modules to be implemented alongside the core curriculum to address local needs.

The Learning to Communicate curriculum is designed to foster parent-child relationships and children’s development and is delivered monthly for 12 months beginning when the child is one month old. Components of Promoting First Relationships®, including the handouts and video-feedback techniques, are also delivered to support positive parent-child interactions.

Home visitors also support families on issues such as housing and finances. Home visitors receive support from and refer families to practitioners within the maternal, child, and family health services system, as necessary.

In addition to home visiting, MECSH provides group activities such as parenting groups and links families to events within the community.

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Intended population

The model serves parents with children younger than age 2 years who are at risk of adverse parental and/or child health and development outcomes. Eligible clients are pregnant women (of any maternal age and with any number of children) or parents/caregivers of any gender who (1) have newborns who are up to eight weeks post-discharge from the hospital; (2) demonstrate psycho-, socio-, demographic, and/or health characteristics that place the child at risk of poor health and development; and (3) lack the ability to adapt and self-manage.

To determine eligibility, parents are assessed for the following risk factors: lack of support, history of mental illness or childhood abuse, depression, anxiety, life stressors, history of domestic violence, or alcohol or drug use in the home.

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Where to find out more

Distinguished Professor Lynn Kemp, Ph.D.
Centre for Translational Research and Social Innovation
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Western Sydney University
Ingham Institute
1 Campbell Street
Liverpool, NSW 2170
Australia
Email: tresi@westernsydyney.edu.au

Lorna Corbett, BS, BSN, RN
MECSH USA Implementation Consultant
Email: lornacmecshusa@outlook.com

Website: Early Childhood Connect MECSH

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