Iowa Admin. Code r. 641-87.2
For the purpose of these rules, the following terms shall have the meaning indicated in this rule:
"Accreditation" means national recognition of compliance with Healthy Families America standards through a peer review process.
"Applicant" means a governmental or nonprofit agency that is fully accredited by Healthy Families America (HFA) or in the process of HFA accreditation, and applies to the department during a competitive year In any year in which expansion funds are available for the HOPES-HFI program, the department shall award new grants, subject to annual renewal, to selected applicants in a competitive process.
"At-risk community" means a county or group of counties that are identified as at risk in the most recently available needs assessment conducted by the department.
"Competitive grant" means the competitive grant application process to determine the grant awards for a project period.
"Contractor" means a governmental or nonprofit agency that holds a contract with the department to provide HOPES-HFI services.
"Department" means the Iowa department of public health.
"Family support program" means group-based parent education or home visiting programs that are designed to strengthen protective factors, including parenting skills, increasing parental knowledge of child development, and increasing family functioning and problem-solving skills. A family support program may be used as an early intervention strategy to improve birth outcomes, parental knowledge, family economic success, the home learning environment, family and child involvement with others, and coordination with other community resources. A family support program may have a specific focus on preventing child maltreatment or ensuring children are safe, healthy, and ready to succeed in school.
"Healthy Families America" or "HFA" means an evidence-based national program model designed to help at-risk families. HFA is a family support program that provides services to families and children during the prenatal period through three years of age through home visitation.
"Healthy families Iowa" or "HFF" means the state family support program that provides services to families and children during the prenatal period through three years of age through home visitation utilizing the Healthy Families America model.
"Home visitation" means a face-to-face visit with a family in their home, or other alternate location, to facilitate meeting the family's goals. Home visitation is a strategy to deliver family support or parent education services. Temporary use of an alternate location may happen when meeting in the family home presents safety concerns for the worker or the family or on rare occasions to facilitate meeting the program's outcomes such as medical appointments or school staffing. Home visitation typically lasts one hour and is provided in person. The use of telephonic or other media to communicate with the family does not substitute for home visitation.
"HOPES-HFF" means the healthy opportunities for parents to experience success-healthy families Iowa program. The HOPES-HFI program is intended to promote optimal child health and development; improve family coping skills and functioning; promote positive parenting skills and parent-child interaction; and prevent child abuse and neglect and infant mortality and morbidity.
"Nonprofit" means an entity that meets the requirement for tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4).
"Participant" means a family voluntarily enrolled in and receiving services from the program.
"Project period" means the period of time the department intends to support the project without requiring competition for funds.
Iowa Admin. Code r. 641-87.2