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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2009
Contact: Lonnie Parizek (850) 921-4494
Healthy Families Florida Re-Accredited by Prevent Child Abuse America
Program Honors Leading Advocate with Daniel Webster Leadership Award
Tallahassee--Prevent Child Abuse America, the nation’s leading organization for child abuse prevention since 1972, has reaccredited Healthy Families Florida as a provider of high-quality home visitation services for families throughout Florida. "I am proud of Healthy Families Florida’s 11-year track record of providing high-quality home visiting services," said Healthy Families Florida Executive Director Carol McNally. "Our state and national leaders recognize the value of prevention programs like Healthy Families Florida. When families have the knowledge, skills and community supports they need, their children are able to grow up in safe and nurturing homes, free from abuse and neglect and prepared to succeed in life," said McNally.
Healthy Families Florida was one of the first Healthy Families America (HFA) programs to achieve multi-site accreditation, initially completing the process in 2003. To maintain accreditation, programs must complete the accreditation process, developed in conjunction with the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children Inc., every five years. The process involves an in-depth examination of the program’s operations, including program management and service delivery. "I commend Healthy Families Florida for opening itself up to such an intensive review. The accreditation process confirmed that Healthy Families Florida meets nationally established, research-based standards for ensuring quality service delivery," said Jim Hmurovich, President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, headquartered in Chicago.
"When all children don’t have equal opportunities for healthy growth and development, we put Florida’s future at risk. Healthy Families Florida is a great example of how we can provide information to parents early to help families build a strong foundation for healthy child growth and development," said Hmurovich.
"As Healthy Families Florida celebrates its reaccreditation, we also recognize the state leadership and community support that has made this successful program possible," said Douglas Sessions, Jr., President and CEO of The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, which administers the HFF statewide program. During the accreditation ceremony, Healthy Families Florida acknowledged Ted Granger, President of United Way of Florida for his outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment to the program by presenting him with the Daniel Webster Leadership Award. "It is no small accomplishment that Ted Granger is receiving this award, named after former State Senator and House Speaker Daniel Webster. Ted has served as Chair of the Healthy Families Florida Advisory Committee since the program was first implemented 11 years ago. His expert guidance has helped this program avoid treacherous waters and stay on course to become the success it is today," said Sessions.
Senator Daniel Webster, who was instrumental in passing the legislation that created Healthy Families Florida in 1998, expressed his continued support for the program and his desire to recognize the program’s greatest champions. "I am proud of the role I played creating Healthy Families Florida and the proven results the program has achieved," said Senator Daniel Webster. "The program has far exceeded my vision. The costs of child abuse and neglect, in both human and budgetary terms, far outweigh the prudent investment the Florida Legislature has made in Healthy Families Florida since its inception in 1998," said Webster.
Staff from thirty-seven community-based agencies--representing all 67 Florida counties--were in attendance to accept certificates of their accreditation and were lauded for their dedication to providing quality Healthy Families Florida home visiting services to families in their communities. "Our lead agencies continue to excel. Their consistent adherence to the program model and engagement of a wide array of community partners to help meet families unique service needs plays a vital role in the success of Healthy Families Florida," said McNally. In addition to the state dollars invested in Healthy Families, communities throughout Florida invest over $12 million in cash and in-kind contributions annually to enable the program to serve additional vulnerable families.
"Healthy Families Florida is an invaluable partner of the Florida Department of Children and Families in our prevention efforts. Thanks to Healthy Families, families are more knowledgeable about child development, better connected to community resources, and better equipped to manage the significant challenges of parenting," George Sheldon, DCF Secretary said. "Innovative programs like Healthy Families help prevent child abuse and neglect and keep families together."
Each year, Healthy Families Florida serves more than 13,000 families and over 21,000 children in targeted areas throughout Florida’s 67 counties. An independent five-year evaluation shows that Healthy Families Florida has a significant impact on preventing child abuse and neglect in high-risk families. The comparison study shows that there is 58 percent less child abuse in families that receive intensive Healthy Families services than families who receive little or no Healthy Families services. The evaluators also found that Healthy Families home visiting services improve maternal and child health, parent-child interaction and family self-sufficiency.
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