HEALTHY FAMILIES NEW YORK RECEIVES NATIONAL ACCREDITATION
Rensselaer, NY, July 8, 2013 – The Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) today announced that the Healthy Families New York (HFNY) Home Visiting Program received for the third time in its history national accreditation by Healthy Families America (HFA), a program of Prevent Child Abuse America. HFNY, an evidence-based program that provides comprehensive services for families in high-risk communities, received a five-year multi-site accreditation from HFA, a national program model designed to help expectant and new parents get their children off to a healthy start.
The rigorous accreditation process began in March of 2012, and as a result, HFNY will now have access to new training, technical assistance, and materials, and can be considered for joint grant and research opportunities. In addition, HFNY, which benefits 5,600 families yearly, will follow national standards to ensure the highest quality of care for families and children in New York State. This accreditation guarantees that HFNY can continue to provide outstanding services in accordance with the national HFA model, and fosters positive outcomes for the families served by HFNY. Services include educating families on parenting and child development, connecting them with needed service including medical providers, and assessing children for developmental delays.
HFNY is an OCFS initiative, in partnership with Prevent Child Abuse New York and the Center for Human Services Research at SUNY Albany. The goals of HFNY include preventing child abuse and neglect; promoting positive parenting and parent-child interaction; ensuring optimal prenatal care, health and development; and enhancing family self-sufficiency. OCFS currently funds 36 HFNY programs in communities throughout the state.