Extended Home Visiting Programme

Summary

The Extended Home Visiting Programme is a collaborative initiative in which child health nurses and social workers conduct home visits to families with young children, from newborn to 17 months old. The programme aims to promote child health and development, strengthen parenting skills, and provide early support to families in need. By building trust and connecting families with relevant services, the programme seeks to reduce health inequalities and improve children’s opportunities for a good start in life.

Organisation

City of Stockholm – Social Affairs Administration - Sweden

Context/ Social issues addressed

The programme aims to strengthen parental confidence, promote child development and wellbeing, and support families early through trust-based, needs-oriented support.

Objectives

1. Promote child health, development, and wellbeing through early, preventive support during the child’s first years of life.
2. Strengthen parental confidence and parenting capacity by providing guidance, information and trust-based support in the home environment.
3. Reduce inequalities and support early access to services by reaching families early and facilitating contact with health, social, and other local services.

Activities

During a child’s first 17 months of life, families receive six home visits conducted jointly by a social services parental advisor and a child health nurse. The visits follow a structured model and cover a variety of topics related to family wellbeing and the child’s first months. The programme is offered in selected areas of the City of Stockholm based on a socio-economic prioritisation using the Care Need Index.

Outcomes

Research on home visiting programmes, particularly the expanded programme in Stockholm, shows that it is a targeted intervention aimed at strengthening parents in vulnerable areas through collaboration between child health care services (BVC) and social services, with the goal of promoting health equity. The programme provides additional home visits for first-time parents, focusing on parental needs and enhancing connections with community resources such as libraries and dental care. Studies are currently examining its long-term effects on children’s language and socio-emotional development, as well as health economic outcomes. Initial results from areas such as Rinkeby indicate small but positive effects, and further development and follow-up are ongoing. Overall, the programme contributes to early identification of risks, strengthens parental capacity, and promotes access to preventive support and early interventions.

Principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights

Funding Source

Regional Government Funds & Local Government Funds

Links to supporting documents

Utökade hembesöksprogrammet i Rinkeby | Karolinska Institutet