Home visitation: A South African process evaluation

Abstract

Home visitation programmes (HVPs) are a moderately effective mechanism for promoting childhood health and, recently, childhood safety. This paper presents the findings of a process evaluation of an HVP focusing on the prevention of childhood unintentional injuries that was implemented in 45 households in four low-income communities in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The aim of the evaluation was to contribute to an understanding of the processes that underpin effective home visitation. A combination of qualitative methods was utilised, namely, individual interviews, focus group discussions and a review of project documentation. The results provide insights into the many potential confounders that can impact on home visitation, such as recipient suspicion, visitor morale and individualised interpretations of protocols across sites. Process evaluations such as this one are invaluable to the contextualisation of an intervention and the identification of best practices.