Home visits cut crime, improves kids’ lives

As the Linn County sheriff, my focus needs to be on what works to reduce crime, so I was pleased to note that, as a result of the passage of national health care reform, a voluntary, evidence-based home visiting program, proven to reduce child abuse and neglect and cut later crime, will now reach thousands of at-risk families nationwide, including here in Iowa.

Home visiting programs, in which a trained nurse or other professional comes into the home of a willing family and provides services and referral to community support systems, can give at-risk families crucial resources to help address the stresses of family life. Many of the families are teenage, first-time mothers. Not only do these services help provide information and counseling on the basics of caring for a child, but research has shown that these programs can cut abuse and neglect in half and also reduce later delinquency by

60 percent among children whose parents participated. Both of these outcomes lead to increased public safety for us all.

As someone who has been on the front lines in the fight against the horrific problem of child abuse, I am pleased that voluntary, evidence-based home visiting programs have received the substantial federal investment that they deserve.

Brian D. Gardner

Linn County Sheriff