CAC begins the Family Footsteps Program

          CAC was awarded a two-year grant by the Eden Hall Foundation of Pittsburgh for the development of a family-home visitation program, Family Footsteps, to assist pregnant women and their families.

          Family Footsteps, which began in September 1999,is a primary prevention program of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lawrence County.  Family Footsteps is a nurse home visitation program offering a continuum of prenatal, postpartum, and early childhood services to families in Lawrence County in order to promote healthy deliveries, an enriching home environment, and the positive development of infants and children.

          The primary recipients of these services are teen parents, first-time parents, and single parents in an effort to address health and social factors which put them and their newborns at risk for adverse outcomes, including maternal and infant health outcomes, and child abuse and neglect.  They are referred to the program by a variety of health care and social service providers and participate on a voluntary basis 

          Family Footsteps case managers are licensed RNs with additional training in counseling, patient education, risk assessment, and case management.  They work to strengthen each parent’s skills and capacities through one-on-one, home-based services, tailored specifically to their needs.

          In the first 9 months of the program, 91 pregnant women were referred to the Family Footsteps program. Of this number, approximately 45 agreed to participate in the program and 99% of them have delivered babies with normal birth weights. 

          This is notable in light of statistics that show more than 20 percent of the pregnant women in New Castle lack prenatal care, that nine percent of the women have low birth weight babies and that teen pregnancy and infant mortality is high within the city.     

          The Family Footsteps Program will continue to collaborate with other health care and social service providers to continue the successful coordination of services to participating families.

Click here for Family Footsteps Brochure