Guidelines for Nurturing Families

If, after reading these Helpful Hints, you would like to offer a Nurturing Home to one of our Clients, please follow the link appropriate to your family. We will be in contact with you. If you prefer, you may indicate your interest in receiving this form through the mail on our Contact Us page or you may download the Adobe Acrobat versions on the left and mail or fax it to the address below. Click here to request additional information about our program.

The relationship between each Client of our Network and the Nurturing Family with whom she lives will naturally be as unique as the individuals involved. While there are no absolute guidelines for a successful relationship, these suggestions may be helpful as you open your home and heart to a woman in need.

You will be called by one of our staff members when an opportunity to open your home to a Client arises. We will confirm that the timing is good for you and then establish a time for you to meet and visit with each other.
The average length of stay for a Client with a Nurturing Family is four to five months. Unless other arrangements are made in advance, each Client is expected to relocate shortly after the birth of the baby. As each situation is different there might be an instance when, by mutual agreement, the Client remains with the Nurturing Family for a short period after giving birth.
Try to establish from the start a relationship with the Client in which you are all at ease. You may decide to treat our Client as you would your own daughter at a similar age. Discuss with her what you expect of a family member. By doing so, you can show her the respect and friendship that you would accord an adult along with the parental concern and guidance you offer your children. We suggest that you talk with each other about the following topics:

Length of her stay in your home
Needs related to studying
Household chores
Transportation times
Use of the telephone
Kitchen privileges
Use of the television
Sleeping hours
Smoking and drinking rules
Visits by family and friends (male and female)
Employment expectations
Expectations about how she uses her time
If you need to talk over a concern with your new family member, please do so; only by candidly discussing matters with her will she understand what is on your mind. Questions, gently and sensitively presented, can help build an open and honest friendship.
Other Nurturing Families suggest that you agree to a follow-up meeting with the Client about one week after she has joined your family to discuss any questions you each may have. Your concern for the Client, combined with her appreciation of your generosity, will already have formed the basis for a strong relationship.
A Nurturing Family is responsible for providing room and board for our Client. Aside from what you eat together as a family, our Client should purchase her own snack food. We recommend that you do not give our Client money or pay for out-of-pocket expenditures for her.
There will probably be occasions when the mother-to-be will need transportation. In the event that doctor appointments and religious services require travel, we ask your cooperation in making sure that she can attend. Please understand that you are not expected to become her “taxi service”, yet it is helpful if you make sure that she has essential transportation when needed.
We encourage the Nurturing Family to ask the Client about her relationship with the father of the baby prior to formally offering their home. The following questions may be helpful:

If the father of the baby is supportive, will he be allowed to visit the Client at the Nurturing Home?

If the father is not supportive and the relationship has ended, what happens if the father appears during the pregnancy?

Will he be allowed to visit the Client in the Nurturing Home?

Would the Nurturing Family prefer that the father not be given their names, address, and phone number?
We encourage you to keep a watchful eye on the health of the woman living with you. Proper diet, sufficient rest and exercise are all keys to ensuring her well-being and that of her baby. The changes which she is undergoing are probably new to her, and perhaps she may look to you as someone with whom she can share her health concerns.
Our Clients are asked to fill out a personal application on which extensive medical questions are asked, including: "Any progressive or communicable disease?" and, "Any other existing medical condition of which we should be aware?" We suggest when a potential Nurturing Family meets with a Client for the first time to discuss any expectations that they may have of a guest living in their home, they cover health related issues. Our Clients are not required to be tested for AIDS and HIV, but information like this is requested of her on the returned application. If a Client is HIV positive, we would not recommend her to a Nurturing Home without first revealing this information.
This may understandably be a time of confusion and uncertainty for the woman you have taken into your home. She may need a sensitive, impartial friend who will listen. If she wants to talk, please be there for her whenever possible. Sometimes a compassionate sounding board is just the assistance a woman in crisis is seeking. You might observe that she could benefit from professional counseling that is different from, or in addition to, the help that she is already receiving. Feel free to suggest this to our Network staff member with whom she is conferring.
If a Client requests more resources than your gift of a loving and nurturing home, please suggest that she make a request directly to our Client services staff member. Together they can discuss the availability of additional support. If you wish to assist in this effort, please let us know.
If you have younger children living at home, please discuss with the Client how you expect her to interact with them. For example, if you would like her to discipline them in your absence, please let her know. Also, we suggest that you discuss with your children before a woman comes to live with you, why you have invited her, what they can expect, and how they should interact with her.
A Client of The Nurturing Network should feel more like a unique family member rather than a guest in your home. You are not expected to tolerate behavior that would be inappropriate from other family members. With this in mind, we ask that you try to include her in family activities whenever possible and appropriate
It is important that husbands be particularly careful about the manner in which they treat a Network Client. Innocent physical contact, which may be intended only as an indication of support, can sometimes be misconstrued. We suggest that husbands be sensitive not to give a woman any misleading impressions.
We have taken care to screen each mother-to-be that we place with each Nurturing Family. We have reviewed her family background, educational, employment, and medical history and shared with your family the facts which we believe are essential to your comfortably inviting a particular Client into your home. However, if any concern should arise-after a Client is living with you that makes you uncomfortable, we ask that you notify our Manager of Nurturing Homes immediately. Whether it be a health condition, a personality trait, or a difference in lifestyles, we do not want any Nurturing Family to feel obligated to share their home under trying circumstances. We believe that the Nurturing Family experience should always be a positive one for all involved.
The Nurturing Network asks that you check with your personal insurance agent if you have any questions regarding liability exposure for any injury or illness that could occur while a Client is residing in your home.
A vitally important consideration for many Clients is maintaining strict confidentiality. All members of our Network must help preserve a Client's privacy. The use of a Client's name is confidential and should never be given to anyone without her permission. Details of a Client's past, present and future decisions concerning the outcome of her pregnancy should be held in strictest confidence. Even seemingly general descriptions of a Client's pregnancy and circumstances are a breach of confidentiality.
Because of the trust a Client places in us when she shares her circumstances, our promise to never betray that confidence can not be taken lightly. For this reason, a Confidentiality Statement is required of every member who has personal contact with a Network Client. Your understanding of the importance of this promise is essential and, as such, is truly appreciated. This statement should be signed along with your application and returned to our office before a Client moves into your home.
Above all, on behalf of our Clients, please know how much your kindness is appreciated. The support and services which you have generously offered are a most precious gift. You can be assured of this person’s gratitude for a lifetime.