Frequently Asked Questions

For the purposes of the HomVEE review, an early childhood home visiting model is an intervention in which trained home visitors meet with expectant parents or families with young children to deliver a specified set of services through a specified set of interactions. These programs are voluntary interventions that are either designed or adapted and tested for delivery in the home. During the visits, home visitors aim to build strong, positive relationships with families to improve child and family outcomes. Services may be delivered on a schedule that is defined or can be tailored to meet family needs. A model has a set of fidelity standards that describe how the model is to be implemented.

Models reviewed by HomVEE must serve pregnant women or families with children from birth to kindergarten entry (that is, up until their sixth birthday), and the primary service delivery strategy must be home visiting. In addition, the model must have research that examines its effects in at least one of eight outcome domains.

Yes. HomVEE will review research about models that use entirely in-person home visiting and models with hybrid approaches that use both in-person and virtual home visits. Models that deliver all services virtually are ineligible; a model must be designed or adapted to require at least one in-person (that is, not virtual) home visit. HomVEE defines a virtual home visit as “delivery of an intervention’s home visit content to an individual caregiver or family conducted solely by use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies. The content should be designed or adapted for synchronous delivery. Some content may be delivered asynchronously, but asynchronous delivery cannot be the primary mode of delivery.”

HomVEE applies the same standards to research about virtual home visits as to research about in-person home visits. An evidence-based model may incorporate hybrid service delivery; doing so does not affect the model’s existing evidence rating. Previously reviewed research about evidence-based models is not re-reviewed to assess use of virtual service delivery.

Yes, any model that meets the definition of the early childhood home visiting model is included in the review, and this may include models that enroll people during pregnancy and aim to improve maternal health, infant health, and birth outcomes. For models with well-designed research that meets HomVEE’s published standards, detailed information about the theoretical approach, intended population, and targeted outcomes can be found via the implementation link on the Model Search Page on HomVEE’s website. That page also has a search function that allows the user to filter all models by population served. Detailed information about maternal and child health outcomes can be found in the “Effects shown in research” tab of each model effectiveness research report.

HomVEE uses the term “evidence-based model” to refer specifically to a model that meets HHS criteria developed based on statutory requirements in the authorizing legislation for the MIECHV Program. HomVEE recognizes that other systematic reviews may use different criteria to evaluate evidence of effectiveness. Thus, an evidence-based model in the context of HomVEE might or might not meet requirements for evidence of effectiveness according to other systematic reviews. The HHS criteria for an evidence-based early childhood home visiting service delivery model are designed to ensure confidence in model impacts through replicated findings from well-designed research.

All research, including research that includes virtual service delivery, is subject to the same standards and procedures. HomVEE groups together all research on a model to apply the HHS criteria unless the model developer indicates that particular manuscripts are research on an adaptation of their model.

HomVEE assesses whether each model meets the HHS criteria for an “evidence-based early childhood service delivery model.” To operationalize the HHS criteria related to studies, and because study findings may be reported across several manuscripts, HomVEE rates manuscripts based on the highest-rated finding reported in that manuscript. Any high- or moderate-rated finding from a study about a model is considered as part of the evidence base for that model. Notably, for models with research solely from either randomized controlled trial (RCT) or single-case design (SCD) studies, additional criteria apply (see the HHS criteria). For example, the additional criteria for RCTs to be from peer-reviewed journal articles and to have sustained findings align with MIECHV Program statutory requirements. The HHS criteria for an evidence-based model have no additional requirements for regression discontinuity design (RDD) or non-experimental comparison group design (NED) studies.

A model may be evidence based on the strength of subgroup findings alone only if the research about it satisfies all of the subgroup criteria.

For details, please see the HHS criteria for evidence-based early childhood home visiting service delivery models.

No. A model may be evidence-based, according to HHS criteria, on the strength of either RCT research or quasi-experimental design (QED) research (including non-experimental comparison group, single-case, and regression discontinuity designs). The research must be of high or moderate quality based on HomVEE’s published standards. Additional HHS criteria apply when the research uses an RCT design. For details, please see the HHS criteria for evidence-based early childhood home visiting service delivery models.

Users can find a filtered list of models that meet the HHS criteria on the Model Search page by clearing the "MIECHV Eligible" filter. The information is also available in the summary brief, available on the HomVEE Summary page. Notably, a HomVEE designation as an evidence-based model does not guarantee that a model is eligible to be implemented with MIECHV funding.

The HHS criteria do not consider the magnitude of impacts in determining whether a model has evidence of effectiveness.

Even though magnitude is not considered in the HHS criteria, HomVEE reports standardized effects (or, effect sizes) for findings rated high and moderate when they are available in the manuscripts or the HomVEE team had enough information to calculate them. Effect sizes can be found in the "Effects shown in research" section of each model effectiveness research report. The reports can be accessed through the Model Search Page.