Inside CARE House: How Home Visits Can Prevent Abuse

Written By Rebecca Anderson

In homes across Oakland County, at all socioeconomic levels, CARE House professionals help fulfill our mission of preventing child abuse by working with families impacted by substance abuse and involved in child welfare.

From prenatal to age 3, our team of professionals in the Healthy Families America home visiting program go into homes and build trusting relationships to ensure that families have access to culturally responsive supports, knowledge of child development, and the safety education they need to begin a child's life free from abuse.

"Families welcome our compassionate home visitors into their homes and want to learn from them," said Bernice Harvey, Program Manager. "The home visitors become part of the family support system by being present and available, serving as a strong connection to community partners while providing stable, consistent emotional support and encouragement."

Home visitors focus on the relationship and attachment between parent and child, understanding child development and the value parents bring to infants and young children. "This program reduces the fear and anxiety that comes with being the parent of a newborn or young child. We utilize an evidence-based curriculum to empower parents with knowledge about child development and support parent-child interactions with hands-on activities that are educational and engaging. Our home visitors also link families to community services to enhance family functioning, reduce risk factors for abuse/neglect, and strengthen protective factors across generations so that infants and toddlers can thrive in developmentally supportive and safe homes," said Harvey.

"We are fortunate to have a diverse team of home visitors," added Maria Llorach-Janicek, Program Supervisor. "We offer home visits in both English and Spanish, which allows us to serve our families in their native language and support them with some of the barriers that can arise from not speaking the language, while still ensuring they can access the services and resources they need."

The program's staff undergoes consistent and frequent training. During home visits, staff members don't use clipboards or notepads, taking care of all paperwork after so they can focus on the families.

Celebrating is just as important as training, notes Llorach-Janicek, "As a former home visitor, seeing families achieve their goals and being able to advocate for them as they advocate for their children is an incredible feeling. We make sure to celebrate each of those achievements with the families, from the smallest to the largest, with the same enthusiasm."

One example of a success story is a family that program staff met during prenatal care. The baby was ultimately born with a genetic disorder and the mom didn't know how she would be able to handle it. The home visitor encouraged the mom that she could be the best parent for this child. Today, mom doesn't see the challenges first, she sees her baby first. "It's all about leaning into a parent's strengths and building on them," said Harvey.

"We walk alongside expectant and new parents on their journey and after 3 years of voluntarily participating in our home visiting program, families successfully graduate," Harvey notes. "Families that enroll in the program, stay in the program and appreciate what they learn, transforming them into knowledgeable, resourceful, and self-sufficient parents."

Congratulations to the first group of families that graduated from the program. The home visiting staff hosted a graduation ceremony to celebrate their achievement in October 2025!

"After three years in the program, we want our families to feel well-equipped to navigate parental stress while engaging in positive parenting practices to promote long-term child and family well-being," Harvey concluded.

CARE House finds families through outreach and referrals from community partners. The program has capacity for 52 families and currently, CARE House has limited openings. If you know of a family who could benefit, call or text our Family Resource Specialist, Clarisa Barerra Garza, at 947-232-7470.

Rebecca Anderson
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