Healthy Families: Home Visiting and Parent Support
On This Page:
- The Partnership for Home Visiting
- Circle of Security and Parent Support Groups
- Asthma Home Visiting
- Finding the Mother in You: Perinatal Support Group
- Child Passenger Safety Technicians
Research shows that the first years of a child's life are crucial to their future health and well-being. The pregnancy and parenting programs of Lewis and Clark Public Health help provide parents with the knowledge and resources they need to make those first years the best they can be.
Home Visiting and The Partnership for Home Visiting
The Partnership for Home Visiting offers three evidence-based home visiting services:
- The Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) provides a personal nurse for women who qualify to provide advice and information during pregnancy and up till the child is 2 years of age.
- Parents As Teachers (PAT)provides a parent educator for families prenatally till the child is 5 years old. PAT emphasizes education on their child’s developmental, family well-being, and school readiness.
- Through the Partnership for Home Visiting with Florence Critterton Family Services, SafeCare is also available to families. SafeCare Home Visiting program as an in-home parenting model program that provides direct-skill training to parents in child behavior management and planned activities training, home safety training, and child health care skills to prevent child maltreatment
Home visitors can also help families learn how to access community resources for food, housing, Medicaid, employment, childcare, health and mental health care.
These services are provided in the home, virtually or other comfortable settings.
Use our NFP self-referral form and determine your eligibility
Circle of Security and Support Group
Circle of Security Parenting Classes: 8-10 week courses are regularly scheduled. The goal of the classes is to improve a child's sense of security within a family, which research has shown leads to better self-esteem, better relationships, enhanced school readiness, and improved ability to cope with emotions. To register for Circle of Security Classes, please use this form.
Parenting Support Group: Under the guidance of a professionally trained facilitator, support groups are also available to people who are enrolled in Circle of Security.
Both the classes and the support group are free and open to all parents in the Helena area. The focus is on families with children under age 8, but parents of older children are also welcome.
Healthy Montana Families Enrollment Agreement and Consent to Release Information form.
Asthma Home Visiting
The Montana Asthma Program through LCPH helps individuals with a primary diagnosis of asthma in Lewis and Clark, Broadwater, and Jefferson counties control the disease rather than let it control them.
Trained nurses provide in-home and virtual visits to help reduce exposure to the things that trigger asthma attacks. The free program may be able to supply special bed covers, HEPA filters, medication advice, asthma educational materials, and referrals to community resources. More information on the Montana Asthma Program.
Click here to self-refer to the Montana Asthma Home Visiting Program.
Finding the Mother in Me: Support for women experiencing perinatal challenges
Our home visitors are trained in the identification of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADS). PMADS can cause emotional and physical difficulties that can make it hard to enjoy life and function well. LCPH offers a support group specifically for new mothers.
Child Passenger Safety:
LCPH has trained staff to provide education to families on how to properly install a car seat.