Tackling the Tough Stuff: A Home Visitor's Guide to Supporting Families at Risk

Home visits with at-risk families present unique, complex challenges that professionals must be ready to address with skill and sensitivity. The problem-solving framework in this practical guide will help home visitors manage even the most difficult on-the-job challenges—and support and empower vulnerable families of children birth to 3.

The authors' PAUSE framework (Perceive, Ask, Understand, Strategize, and Evaluate) walks home visitors through the entire process of addressing problems, from recognizing a difficult situation to evaluating the chosen action steps. Readers will learn how to apply the framework in real-world situations, partner with parents to understand their perspectives, take direct and effective action to help the parents and children they work with, and give at-risk families the tools they need to resolve their own challenges in the future.

HOME VISITORS WILL

• Skillfully blend relationship-based and reflective practice approaches in their daily work
• Understand what's behind children's challenging behaviors
• Learn specific tips for helping families solve key challenges, from feeding issues to meltdowns
• Work sensitively and effectively with families facing difficult situations, including domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental illness
• Equip families with practical caregiving skills they'll use long after the home visit is over
• Set appropriate boundaries with families and mend any breaks in the provider–caregiver relationship
• Use self-care strategies to address symptoms of burnout and secondary trauma

PRACTICAL MATERIALS: Helpful sample dialogues and vignettes to use as models, plus reproducible blank forms on exploring challenging behaviors, discussing difficult topics, reflecting on practices, helping parents improve their skills, and more.

Dr. Tomlin is Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Co‐Chief of the Division of Developmental Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM). She is also the Director of the Indiana LEND Program, a nationally recognized interdisciplinary leadership training program supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at IUSM. Her credentials include endorsement as an infant mental health mentor in both clinical and research scopes. She is also a certified perinatal mental health specialist. Dr. Tomlin provides clinical services to very young children and their families, supports the training of interdisciplinary learners within the LEND, advances knowledge and skill of medical learners rotating in her clinics, and promotes the professional development of the infant and early childhood workforce as a provider of reflective supervision and consultation. She is passionate about supporting and growing a diverse infant and early childhood workforce through scholarship and mentorship.

Dr. Tomlin is the author or co‐author of 30 publications on topics that include infant mental health, autism spectrum disorder, and workforce development. Dr. Tomlin has served the university and the infant and early childhood field, and her community by serving on boards including leadership roles in Infancy Onward, Indiana’s infant mental health association, committees and workgroups of the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health, and other state and local groups. She was the 2022 recipient of the Alliance’s Deborah J. Weatherston Award for leadership in infant mental health. With her husband of over 40 years, Dr. Tomlin is the proud parent of two adult daughters and two wonderful grandchildren.

Dr. Viehweg is Assistant Research Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Director of the Indiana LEND Program, a nationally recognized interdisciplinary leadership training program supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the IU School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Medicine. He is also the Associate Director of the Center for Translating Research Into Practice at Indiana University–Indianapolis. He currently serves as the CDC's Learn the Signs. Act Early. Ambassador to Indiana. Steve is author or co‐author of publications, book chapters, and webinars on reflective practice, interdisciplinary education and service delivery, early childhood mental health, early detection, translational research and open access. He is founding chair of Infancy Onward, Indiana’s infant/toddler mental health association, and founding president of Family Voices Indiana (now Indiana Family to Family). Steve is passionate about children and families and is a fierce advocate for policies and programs that support family‐centered, community‐engaged best practices. He volunteers on various boards and committees that focus on children and families at the local, state and national levels. With his wife of over 35 years, he is the proud parent of an adult son and daughter, and Papaw to four amazing grandchildren.