Home Visits
Best practices for local educational agencies conducting home visits for chronic absenteeism, truancy, and behavior concerns. Purpose of the Home Visit
Who Should Conduct the Visit
Preparation Before the Visit
Conducting the Visit
Follow-up After the Visit
Practices to Avoid
Purpose of the Home Visit
Home visits should be viewed as supportive, relationship-centered interventions designed to strengthen connections between schools and families. The primary goal is to understand and address the underlying barriers that may be contributing to chronic absenteeism, truancy, or behavioral concerns. Rather than serving as compliance checks or disciplinary actions, home visits provide an opportunity for local educational agencies (LEAs) to demonstrate care, build trust, and communicate that the LEA is committed to partnering with families to support student success. Effective home visits help LEAs gain a more complete understanding of students' circumstances while connecting families with resources and services that may improve attendance, engagement, and behavior.
Who Should Conduct the Visit
Home visits are most effective when conducted by two LEA members. This approach promotes safety, provides multiple perspectives, and allows one LEA member to engage in conversation while the other documents important information. Whenever possible, LEAs conducting visits should have training in trauma-informed practices, family engagement, de-escalation techniques, and culturally responsive communication. LEAs should also strive to assign LEA members who reflect the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the families they serve. Bilingual LEA members or interpreters can help ensure clear communication and foster trust. Appropriate personnel may include attendance counselors, administrators, social workers, counselors, community liaisons, behavior specialists, or other trained support staff.
Preparation Before the Visit
Prior to conducting a home visit, LEAs should review all relevant student information, including attendance records, behavioral data, disciplinary history, academic performance, and previous interventions. Identifying patterns such as frequent absences on specific days, recurring tardiness, behavioral triggers, or repeated referrals can help LEAs better understand the student's situation and guide the conversation.
LEAs should attempt alternative forms of contact before initiating a home visit, including phone calls, emails, text messages, or written correspondence. When a visit becomes necessary, LEAs should prepare key talking points and establish a clear purpose for the visit. Bringing informational materials and resource guides is also recommended. These may include transportation assistance information, mental health and counseling referrals, behavior intervention resources, school contact information, academic support services, and community-based resources. A documentation log should be prepared in advance to record observations, concerns, support offered, and follow-up actions.
A best practice is for each LEA to create a local resource guide organized by categories (attendance, behavior, mental health, health care, housing, food assistance, transportation, and family engagement) so home visit teams can provide immediate, practical support tailored to each family's needs.
Conducting the Visit
Approach the Home Respectfully
Upon arrival, LEAs should approach the home in a respectful and professional manner. After knocking or ringing the doorbell, LEAs should step back to provide personal space and introduce themselves clearly. Families should immediately understand that the purpose of the visit is supportive rather than punitive. A simple and welcoming statement such as, “We are here because we care about your student and want to support their success at school,” helps establish a positive tone and reduce anxiety.
Use Supportive, Nonpunitive Communication
The conversation should focus on listening and understanding rather than lecturing or assigning blame. LEAs should use open-ended questions that encourage families to share their experiences and perspectives. Questions such as “How has school been going for your student?”, “What challenges have made it difficult to attend school regularly?”, “Have there been any concerns related to behavior or school experiences?”, and “How can we better support your child and family?” can help uncover valuable information.
Throughout the discussion, LEAs should demonstrate empathy, active listening, and respect. Families should feel heard and understood rather than judged. Legal consequences, threats, or coercive language should be avoided, as they often damage trust and reduce future engagement.
Identify Barriers to Attendance and Behavior
A critical component of the home visit is identifying barriers that may be affecting both attendance and behavior. Many students experience challenges beyond the school setting that influence their ability to attend and participate successfully. These barriers may include transportation difficulties, physical or mental health concerns, housing instability, caregiving responsibilities, family stress, economic hardship, bullying, peer conflicts, safety concerns, negative school experiences, emotional regulation difficulties, or disengagement from learning.
By understanding the root causes of attendance and behavioral concerns, LEAs can develop interventions that are responsive to the student's actual needs rather than relying solely on punitive approaches.
Offer Concrete Support and Resources
Whenever possible, LEAs should leave the family with practical support and clear next steps. Depending on the identified needs, LEAs may offer referrals to counseling services, mental health support, mentoring programs, social-emotional learning interventions, behavior support plans, restorative practices, attendance improvement strategies, transportation assistance, schedule modifications, academic tutoring, or community-based programs.
Families should leave the interaction knowing who to contact and what support is available. The focus should remain on collaboration and problem-solving rather than compliance monitoring.
Keep the Visit Focused
Most home visits can be completed in approximately 10 to 15 minutes. While some families may wish to engage in longer conversations, LEAs should remain mindful of the family's time and privacy. The primary objective is to establish a positive relationship, gather information, and connect families with support. Attempting to resolve every issue during a single visit is generally unrealistic and may overwhelm families. Building trust often requires multiple interactions over time.
Safety Protocols
LEAs should follow established safety procedures during all home visits. Visits should always be conducted by at least two LEA members, and supervisors should be informed of the visit schedule and locations. LEAs should generally remain at the doorstep or in another visible area unless explicitly invited into the home and district policy permits entry. Professional boundaries should be maintained at all times.
If LEAs encounter an unsafe environment, threatening behavior, aggressive animals, or any situation that raises concerns about personal safety, they should leave immediately and document the circumstances. LEAs safety should never be compromised.
Follow-up After the Visit
Following the visit, LEAs should promptly document relevant information, including barriers identified, family concerns, support offered, referrals provided, and any agreements regarding next steps. Documentation should be objective, factual, and free from judgmental language.
Information gathered during the visit should be incorporated into the student's attendance intervention plan, behavior support plan, or other appropriate support systems. LEAs should determine whether additional interventions are needed and assign responsibility for follow-up actions. Families should receive timely follow-up communication to reinforce the partnership and ensure that promised support is implemented.
The outcomes of the visit should be shared, as appropriate, with the school attendance review board, schoolsite absence intervention team, multi-tiered system of support team, student success team, or other designated student support teams to coordinate ongoing intervention efforts.
Practices to Avoid
Home visits should never be used as a tool for intimidation or punishment. LEAs should not threaten families with legal consequences, school attendance review boards, court involvement, or disciplinary actions as a means of securing compliance. Likewise, LEAs should avoid language that shames, blames, or criticizes families for attendance or behavioral challenges. Such approaches often undermine trust and reduce the likelihood of future engagement.
Additionally, LEAs should never conduct home visits alone, both for safety reasons and to ensure accountability. Maintaining a supportive, collaborative, and family-centered approach is essential to achieving positive outcomes and fostering long-term partnerships between schools and families.
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