Washington State Home Visiting Core Competencies

We want to thank all the Home Visitors, Supervisors, and community-based program leaders who contributed their time and expertise in developing the Washington State Home Visiting Core Competencies. — The Washington State Home Visiting Core Competencies were developed by more than 350 Home Visitors, Supervisors, and community-based program leaders committed to supporting a strong foundation for Washington families through home visiting.

After two years in the making, two unique sets of competencies are ready to be used, tested, and refined by those who work with families daily. One set of competencies is for the role of Home Visitor, and one set is for the role of Home Visiting Supervisor. Each set of core competencies aims to complement, strengthen, and honor the recommendations and competencies developed by state and national entities to date. These include but are not limited to: the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families: Relationship-Based Competencies to Support Family Engagement; the Institute for the Advancement of Family Support Professionals: National Family Support Competency Framework; the National Home Visiting Network Call to Action for Racial Equity, and many others.

The creation of the Washington State Home Visiting Core Competencies allowed Washington’s home visiting workforce to build upon these foundational resources with their collective expertise and the context of Washington communities where they partner with families. The results are core competencies defined by, “owned by,” and written in the voice of Home Visitors and Supervisors in Washington state.

Funders

Thank you to the primary funder of this work, the Washington Department of Children, Youth & Families, via the Home Visiting Services Account, including state and federal funding. Federal funding for the project was via the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program grant issued via the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). $37,300 (29%) of this project was financed with federal money, while $7,189 (6%) of costs were financed with nongovernmental resources from the Perigee Fund. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.