New STEPS is a system in the West Virginia counties of Cabell and Wayne to provide families expecting a baby with information about community resources. For more information, call us at (304) 523-9587 ext 308 or send email to team@teamwv.org

WHAT IS THE PROGRAM'S GOAL?

Instituting this process for screening provides families a gateway to needed services and offers families assistance before problems grow to the magnitude of a crisis. The idea is to build a network of support for the challenging yet rewarding job of being a parent.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

New STEPS involves the following steps:

• A one-page-form (screen) is available from area medical providers.
• Pregnant women in Cabell and Wayne counties of West Virginia are being invited to complete the form. Each woman completing the form receives "Parenting Step by Step: A Guide to Resources in the Community."
• A Family Resource Specialist contacts the family and offers a home visit. Families who accept the visit are offered information about community resources that could meet their assessed needs.
• Families receiving a home visit also receive a Welcome Baby! Basket.
• The hospitals' mother-baby units and other agencies also make referrals to New STEPS for families needing extra help who were not screened during pregnancy.

WHAT ARE THE PROGRAM'S ORIGINS?

The Huntington, West Virginia-Ironton, Ohio Empowerment Zone provided funding in September 1999 to implement New STEPS, a screening, assessment and referral system for families in Cabell County, West Virginia, at or before the birth of a child. The project expanded into Wayne County in 2001. This project was one of the dreams of the Cabell County and Wayne County Family Resource Network.