Paraprofessionals from the community conduct home visits. A supervisor guides and monitors curriculum implementation. Nurses may also work with home visitors to conduct home visits and teach the lessons deemed most relevant to their clinical expertise. Family Spirit has no recommendations regarding necessary leadership positions but requires a supervisor for home visitors. The Family Spirit National Office noted that an evaluator can be useful given the model’s requirements for data collection.
Family Spirit recommends that home visitors come from the participating community and be familiar with the local or tribal culture, traditions, and languages. Home visitors must have at least a high school education plus at least two years of related work experience. The developers recommend that supervisors have a college degree or equivalent work experience, and experience in home visiting, case management, community networking, and staff supervision.
Family Spirit requires supervision for home visitors. Please contact the model developer for additional information about the required types, mode, and frequency of supervision. Monthly supervisory and leadership training webinars are available for supervisors.
Family Spirit requires home visitors and supervisors at a new affiliate to participate in a three- to four-day training that covers hands-on practice with the curriculum and strategies to implement the model. Home visitors must also complete a pre-training and post-training period to become certified to deliver services and to ensure mastery of the curriculum and model. Family Spirit offers a training for new home visitors hired after the affiliate’s original three- to four-day training.
In addition to the topics described, supervisors are also trained on the following:
- Monitoring and supporting home visitors
- Conducting quality assurance
- Networking to integrate Family Spirit into community resources
- Managing program implementation, including developing policies and procedures, and recruiting and supporting home visitors
- Developing supervisory and personnel management skills
Family Spirit encourages, but does not require, affiliates to conduct frequent ongoing training for staff and supervisors in maternal and child health issues, home visiting strategies, case management, and other topics that are relevant to the program and participating families. Family Spirit provides a list of suggested additional trainings on its online affiliate portal.
The Family Spirit National Office offers quarterly topic-based webinars for home visitors and supervisors from affiliate sites. Please contact the model developer for additional information about ongoing professional development requirements.