Supplemental Anticipatory Guidance For Children and Adolescents Experiencing Homelessness

A key component of well-child visits, anticipatory guidance—a proactive, age-based education and counseling technique—provides an opportunity for health care professionals, parents, and the child to ask questions and discuss issues of concern. While anticipatory guidance for children experiencing homelessness is fundamentally the same as for those who are housed, standard guidance may fail to adequately account for the unique challenges presented by homelessness that may affect a child’s health and development. Providers who routinely serve homeless patients recognize a need to tailor guidance and consider living conditions to foster better outcomes for these patients. This document is intended to serve as a supplement for health care professionals, students, and other service providers who have limited experience working with this population.

Publication Date: 
2018