Identifying Home VisitorsHome visitors are individuals living in the same community as OVC who make regular visits to OVC
and their households to provide care and support. These visitors partially fulfil some of the roles
of a parent, giving the children the psychosocial support of someone who cares about their well-being,
assisting with household chores or responsibilities beyond the skills or strength of the children, and
providing adult wisdom and counsel to help address problems, fears or issues the children may be
facing. The home visitor can help fill these roles even while parents are alive.
Most home visitors will likely be women and men who are already
visiting vulnerable family members and neighbours either on their own
or as a member of a local community body. These home visitors,
who volunteer their time to support OVC and affected households,
form the backbone of a strategy for the care and support of OVC.
The home visitors help vulnerable children and the households caring
for them to solve their own problems and to ensure that their needs
are met. If there are problems or needs that cannot be addressed
by the household and home visitor, the home visitor can refer the
problem to the CCC for additional guidance and support.
Along with supporting community members who are already
providing care to OVC, coalition members may wish to develop
criteria to identify and recruit additional home visitors.
Possible qualifications for home visitors include:
Being chosen by a child or children
Previous involvement in OVC issues in the community and a
demonstrated commitment to addressing and following up on
these issues
Living in the vicinity of OVC and therefore a familiar figure to the children
Commitment to children’s rights and to protecting children from exploitation and abuse
Commitment to behaving ethically and acting as a role model in the community
Good communication skills and a willingness to listen
Strong interpersonal skills, in order to establish good relationships with both guardians
and children
The ability to maintain the confidentiality of the children, households, guardians and CCC
members they work with
A willingness to work on a voluntary basis.
Home visitors are the eyes, ears, arms and legs of the CCC. They will visit vulnerable children
regularly. One home visitor may be responsible for visiting five to 10 children, up to once a week.
Home visitors will receive training in how to carry out the visit, assess and record the status of the
family members in a household, and record the assistance provided. Training for home visitors is
covered in Unit 2 of this guide.
STAGE 7
Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Unit 1, Module 1^15