Existing home visiting programs, as well as new start-up sites, can affiliate with HFA. Completing this process reflects a commitment to implementing the 12 critical elements in accordance with the HFA Best Practice Standards (described under Fidelity Standards). All sites or multisite systems interested in affiliating with HFA and using the “Healthy Families” name must complete the HFA Application for Affiliation. By the end of its third anniversary of affiliation, a site must complete the HFA accreditation process, which has three steps: (1) a site self-assessment, (2) an external peer review performed by a team of at least two HFA-certified reviewers, and (3) an accreditation decision made by the HFA accreditation panel.
Sites are accredited by HFA through PCA America based on their adherence to the critical elements and HFA Best Practice Standards (rev. 2018) that serve as the foundation for implementing the HFA model. After initial accreditation, HFA sites are required to complete accreditation every four years thereafter.