Boston public health commission children's mental health initiative - the population of focus for the boston children's mental health initiative (CMHI) are black and latinx children up to age 4 who…

Boston public health commission children's mental health initiative - the population of focus for the boston children's mental health initiative (CMHI) are black and latinx children up to age 4 who are diagnosed or at risk of serious emotional disturbances (SED). Led by the boston public health commission (bphc, boston's health department), the project focuses on serving families who are either involved with the state child welfare system (massachusetts department of children and families (DCF) or connected to family support services through bphc's home visiting program (healthy baby healthy child) and hrsa-funded family partnership program (the boston healthy start initiative). The goals of boston CMHI are to: (1) improve access to evidence-based and culturally competent behavioral health services for over 275 children ages 0-48 months experiencing or at high risk of severe emotional disturbance through a novel dyadic model that incorporates a family partner and behavioral health clinician. (2) institutionalize early childhood mental health screening and mental health service provision in municipal and community-based child health and child welfare agencies through provider training. (3) sustain and expand project methods and results by disseminating learnings from this project to the child welfare system. Child service agencies, caregivers and providers statewide. To reach these goals this proposal proposes the following objectives: objective 1. Training: over the 4-year project period, train a minimum of 37 family partners (lay health workers), public health nurses, social workers and case workers on evidence-based behavioral health frameworks (DC:0-5™, circle of security, smart) to ensure the well-being of children receiving services with the boston public health commission and department of children and families (state child welfare agency). Objective 2. Screening: screen at least 90% of children in families receiving bphc home visit and family partner services for social and emotional wellness. Objective 3. Behavioral health services: provide evidenced-based behavioral health services to families in boston receiving child health services or involved in the welfare system; whose children are experiencing or are at significant risk of SED-for a total of 275 children served over the project period. Objective 4. Caregiver and community awareness: increase awareness of early childhood mental health, including behavioral health screening and services, through monthly convenings and a variety of community activities reaching engaging, 4,000 community members over the project period.