Relationships Between Parents and Home Visitors: Highlights from A Qualitative Exploration of Parent Retention and Engagement in Early Childhood Home Visiting

Research has linked early childhood home visiting with a variety of benefits for children and parents. However, many eligible parents do not enroll in home visiting, while others drop out of services, or receive fewer visits than recommended. In 2014, the MN Department of Health contracted with Wilder Research to explore issues related to parent engagement and retention in home visiting. Prior research suggests that the relationship between the home visitor and the parent is a key factor that may influence the effectiveness and quality of the home visiting program, the delivery of program content, and parent engagement and program participation. This brief summarizes parents' perceptions of their relationship with home visitors.