The Home Visiting Advisory Committee (HVAC) is in statute with the purpose to advise the “Home Visiting Services Account (HVSA) partnership regarding research and the distribution of funds from the account to eligible programs.” The committee provides oversight and strategic direction to Washington State’s home visiting systems building and expansion of services.
In 2021 the Legislature adopted a budget proviso recognizing the complexities of the current home visiting system as well as the potential for expansion. The Legislature requested that the Home Visiting Advisory Committee (HVAC) “make recommendations to [DCYF] and the Legislature by June 1, 2022, containing strategies for supporting home visiting providers and serving additional families.”
Over the past year, the Home Visiting Advisory Committee, comprised of home visiting providers, advocates, state agency partners, and other allied professionals, conducted a process to deliver recommendations for improvements to the home visiting system. The recommendations highlight the importance of continued expansion of home visiting slots and emphasize the investments necessary to support our home visiting workforce and improve equity.
Broken down by immediate, short-, medium-, and long-term (as well as by anticipated budgetary impact), this report details overarching recommendations, as well as recommendations for workforce development, true cost of service, and data enhancement. The included recommendations build upon previous studies and expand upon the positive outcomes of the existing home visiting system and investments.
Goals
The goals of the committee are:
- Ensure access to home visiting services for families that could benefit most in Washington State.
- Establish a consistent and effective process to gather feedback from stakeholders regarding home visiting and advise leadership regarding home visiting direction.
- Utilize data to understand community need and disperse funding to communities that could benefit most.
- Support home visiting services in being integrated and accessible in communities so that families can access services that fit their needs.
To learn more about the HVAC, see the HVAC Orientation Manual.