TY - JOUR A1 - Kliem, Sören A1 - Sandner, Malte A1 - Brand, Tilman A1 - Fischer, Sebastian A1 - Lohmann, Anna A1 - Schepan, Marie Lisanne A1 - Conti, Gabriella A1 - Baier, Dirk T1 - Follow-up study on the long-term effectiveness of the home-visiting program “ProKind”: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial JF - Frontiers in Pediatrics N2 - BackgroundThe Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) is an evidence-based home visiting program shown to improve maternal and child outcomes. Pro Kind is the first German adaptation of NFP, implemented between 2006 and 2012. While earlier evaluations demonstrated short- and medium-term benefits, no European trial has yet assessed long-term effects into adolescence. ObjectivesThis study protocol outlines the third phase of the Pro Kind randomized controlled trial (RCT), designed to evaluate the program’s effectiveness 14–16 years post-intervention. Primary aims are to assess adolescent and maternal outcomes related to mental health, parenting, risk behaviors, and life satisfaction, as well as potential long-term economic effects.MethodsThe original RCT enrolled 755 pregnant women with psychosocial risk factors, randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 394) or control group (n = 361). The intervention comprised structured home visits from midwives or tandem teams (midwife + social worker) from pregnancy until the child’s second birthday. The 15-year follow-up combines self-report data (via online interviews and questionnaires) and administrative records on employment, social benefits, and criminal justice involvement. Discussion: This study represents the first long-term follow-up of an NFP adaptation in Europe. While U.S. trials of NFP provide evidence of the program’s effectiveness, these results cannot be generalized to European welfare contexts. This underscores the need for long-term evaluations of NFP adaptations in Europe to generate evidence that can inform policy and ensure evidence-based decision making. Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2025.1606749 SN - 2296-2360 VL - 13 PB - Frontiers Media SA ER -