TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

High quality, accessible training and technical assistance are fundamental to the success of MIHOW. The effectiveness of the services, as well as the long-term financial sustainability of the programs, are linked to the extent and quality of the training and technical support. Connections established within the MIHOW network nurture a crucial interchange of moral support and technical expertise across sites.

Training

• Annual Conference - Each year, site leaders and outreach workers come together for three days of participatory workshops, networking opportunities, and team building activities.
  
• Biennial Site Leaders' Meeting - Site leaders gather every other year for networking, reflecting, planning, evaluating, and training on program management.
  
• Regional Training - MIHOW's Regional Consultants coordinate three annual trainings per region, and provide individual site consultation on program management.

Technical Assistance/Networking

• New site assistance - Staff from Vanderbilt University and the Regional Consultants work closely with local staff in the early months on recruitment, training, and supervision of outreach workers, on case management issues and networking with other social service agencies.
  
• Ongoing assistance - Ongoing technical support includes monitoring site progress via site visits, phone calls, meetings, providing additional training, and serving as an advisor as problems arise.
  
• Commitment to Excellence MIHOW Accreditation Program - To ensure that MIHOW services maintain the highest quality and consistency, each site participates in the Commitment to Excellence MIHOW Accreditation Program (CEMAP©). Using the MIHOW Standards of Practice for Sponsoring Agencies as the basis of CEMAP©, the Center for Health Services is responsible for reviewing and recognizing sites as they achieve the standards.
  
• Evaluation - MIHOW's evaluation system provides a flexible, user-friendly approach to monitoring program progress and outcomes. The system documents MIHOW impact on maternal and child health and development, identifies effective program elements and areas needing improvement, and provides analysis by site, state, and region.
  Sustainability assistance - Strategies are varied to accommodate different agencies' infrastructure and needs, and include: a fundraising packet of sample letters of inquiry, grant proposals, and other strategies distributed periodically to help site leaders become more confident and effective about the fundraising process; the Capacity Building Project to assist sites in fund development beyond foundation support; and professional training for site leaders in specialized fundraising practices.
  
• MIHOW Listserv - This electronic mailing list allows MIHOW staff to communicate directly with their peers about issues pertaining to the program and the families they serve.

Publications and Materials

• The MIHOW Standards of Practice - Standards for sponsoring agencies and outreach workers protect the integrity, quality, and consistency of the program by ensuring that all MIHOW sites adhere to the same basic principles. Performance standards for outreach workers also serve as a guide for the workers' professional development.
  
• The MIHOW Home Visit Guides (The Prenatal Period, The First Year of Life, The Second Year of Life, and The Third Year of Life) - Month-by-month guides including strategies to improve mother and child's self-image, sharpen problem-solving skills and promote planning, goal setting, and self-advocacy.

• The Administrator's Manual: How to Build a MIHOW Program in Your Community - Topics include training and supervision, case management, safety and security issues for outreach workers, program planning, and sustainability.
  MIHOW Matters - Published three times a year, this newsletter highlights MIHOW workers, sites, and specific projects. It is distributed to program donors.
  The MIHOW Monthly - An informal two-page newsletter providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information on upcoming events and deadlines, national health observances, websites of interest, outreach worker profiles, health quizzes, and family-related humor.
  The MIHOW Site Directory - A guide profiling the resources, experience, and population served by each agency within the MIHOW network.
  REACH - The Five Step Recipe for a Home Visit - A tool (pocket size laminated card) developed to provide a quick reminder of the essential ingredients for an effective home visit. Each worker has a version for quick reference.
  
• Reaching Across the South: An Introduction to MIHOW - This eight-minute video provides an overview of the program.
  This will require a Real One Player (download free version at here).