Coordination of Home Visiting Services: A Single Point of Entry and Client Tracking System

The Camden County Home Visitation Task Force was created in 2006 in order to improve communication and coordination among maternal and child health home visiting programs and to improve the quality of these services through training. In 2007 and early 2008, the Task Force collaborated to create a single-point-of-entry, referral and tracking system for participating home visiting agencies in Camden County. Designed as an expansion of the Camden Healthy Start client management system, which was developed in 2003 by the Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative, the system receives referrals from maternal and child health provider agencies and community based organizations primarily by fax but also by telephone/data entry.Referrals are electronically processed and automatically triaged via e-mail notification to the appropriate home visiting program and agency. The presenter will share information about how this system can benefit clients, reduce duplication of services and improve the quality of provider communication. She will also demonstrate how it can be replicated in other communities. Topics will include 1) designating a lead agency to maintain the data system and coordinate the partnership; 2) developing criteria for triage of home visiting referrals; 3) developing a uniform referral tool 4) initiating agreements with partner agencies to share client information; 5) streamlining provider communication regarding client assignments and home visit activities 6) how to maintain an active and reliable data system.