Welcome Every Baby
Welcome Every Baby (WEB) is a free postpartum nurse home visitation program for all families with newborns in Santa Barbara County that are not already enrolled in a postpartum nurse home visitation program. WEB began providing home visits in Santa Barbara County in 2001 and has provided support to over 17,000 families. WEB has been under the umbrella of the Santa Barbara County Education office since 2008 and is one of many programs offered by the Children and Family Resource Services department.
Welcome Every Baby provides one to three postpartum nurse home visits within the first 3 months of a newborn's life, regardless of socioeconomic status. Using tested screening tools, the nurse measures newborn and maternal health and assesses strengths and needs to link the family to community resources.
Research shows that 95 percent of all families have needs after the birth of a child. These needs are unique to each family. Welcome Every Baby bridges the gap between parents and community resources and has been shown to improve family well-being, including reducing emergency medical care for infants, improving parent behavior and parent-child relationships, increasing parents reaching their breastfeeding goals, and increasing community and resource connections.
Our Vision: All Santa Barbara County infants and their families are welcome members of our community and thrive in safe and nurturing homes.
Our Mission: To provide screening, education, support and referral services to all infants and their families in Santa Barbara County through comprehensive, family-centered, voluntary, culturally appropriate services.
The Goals of Welcome Every Baby:
- Connect with every family in their home after the birth of a newborn.
- Offer supportive guidance to families, responding specifically to questions about care of the parent(s) and newborn, lactation and emotional well-being.
- Link families to community services based on their individual needs and preferences.
- Help new parents connect with their infant, supporting child development and improving overall family well-being.
