Family Connects
Austin/Travis County
All babies deserve the healthiest possible start
Family Connects
Family Connects Austin/Travis County brings a nurse right to your home in your newborn’s first few weeks of life.
Ninety percent of families with newborns report needing more support. Family Connects Austin/Travis County supports parents by providing nurse home visits at no cost to families. We perform comprehensive health and wellness assessments for you and your newborn in the comfort of your home. By identifying risks early, facilitating access to care, and providing education and support, Family Connects works to save lives and promote long-term health for babies and their families.
Family Connects is committed to offering postpartum care that is equitable, inclusive, family-centered, and culturally competent. Together, we’re growing healthy babies.
How can we help you?
Babies don’t come with an instruction manual. Family Connects nurses are trained to answer your questions and connect you to additional support.
Here’s what we help with:
- Check baby’s weight and help with feeding
- Check mom’s health
- Screen mom for Postpartum Depression
- Tell you about child care options
- Help plan to go back to work
- Give tips on bath time & changing diapers
- Give you tips on safe sleep
- Help you with baby’s crying
- Teach other family members about baby
- Tell you about parent support groups
- Give you tips to help baby learn
- Tell you about family planning options
- Plan for visiting the doctor
- Connect families to holistic community resources
96% of families who received a visit had at least one parenting concern addressed.
For Parents
Babies don’t come with an instruction manual, so let Family Connects Austin/Travis County fill in the gaps. Learn about home visits for all families.
Bridging the gap
Research shows that 90 percent of all families have needs after the birth of a child. These needs are unique to each family. Family Connects Austin/Travis County has been shown to improve family well-being, including reducing emergency medical care for infants and improving parent behavior and child care selection.
The program provides between one and three nurse home visits to every family with a newborn beginning at about three weeks of age, regardless of income. Using a tested screening tool, the nurse measures newborn and maternal health and assesses strengths and needs to link the family to community resources.
Research has shown that when families participate in Family Connects, mothers feel less anxious, parents learn about quality child care options and babies need less emergency care at hospitals. That is good for babies, families and the whole community.
Brought to you by United Way for Greater Austin
