Infant & Early Mental Health Initiatives

Updated July 18, 2011

The websites below identify and describe current and past initiatives in California regarding Infant & Early Mental Health.

California’s Infant Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Workforce Competencies WestEd Center for Prevention and Early Intervention is leading the development and implementation of an endorsement process for the Revised 2009 Training Guidelines and Competencies for Infant Family and Early Mental Health. The website provides a downloadable copy of the Guidelines and information and resources about the endorsement process.

California’s Infant Preschool Family Mental Health Initiative 2000-2005 funded by First 5 CA funded development of mental health services for very young children and their families in 8 pilot counties.

Central California Children’s Institute Infant Mental Health Project The initiative calls for development of a regional plan for improving infant-family and early childhood mental health systems and training programs, thereby increasing the region’s capacity to promote early mental health, prevent serious social-emotional problems before they occur, and to increase community and regional capacity for effective early mental health treatment. The Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative is funded primarily by First 5 Fresno. However, additional funding partners include First 5 Merced, First 5 Tulare, WestCare and the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health via Mental Health Services Act funding.

Central California Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative The Central California Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative is dedicated to diminishing the silent epidemic of depression and anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum. Through education and outreach, we work to raise awareness about how to recognize signs of depression and anxiety in women and then find local resources to help cultivate a circle of support for women suffering from this condition.

Early Mental Health Initiative (EMHI), funded through the California Department of Mental Health, provides matching grants to Local Education Agencies to implement early mental health prevention and early intervention programs. Programs funded through EMHI must be on a school site and focused on services for children in kindergarten through third grades who are experiencing mild to moderate school adjustment difficulties. The program is not intended to serve students with more severe difficulties.

Early Developmental Screening and Intervention (EDSI) project, a partnership between First 5 LA County and UCLA’s Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities, is a 5 year, 5.5 million dollar grant created to improve early identification and intervention for young children with developmental or behavioral problems by transforming community systems in LA County.

First 5 Association of California, Early Childhood Mental Health Project (ECMH), working with pediatrician, mental health professionals and policy experts has developed this website to help navigate early childhood developmental screening resources. In addition to providing basic information about best practices in screening –including tools and frequency—This site also includes links to statewide resources and examples of county initiatives. The goal of this website is to increase the number of California infants, toddlers and preschoolers who get regular developmental checkups – and, when needed, speedy and effective intervention – by providing practical, user-friendly information to people across the many sectors and agencies who can make a difference.

First Signs With developmental, behavioral, and learning disabilities on the rise, there is much that remains poorly understood, from cause to cure. However, there is one widely-accepted fact: early and intensive intervention can have a profound impact on the quality of life for children at risk and their families. The key is early detection. But recognizing the early signs can be a challenge for parents and healthcare professionals alike. The First Signs website provides a wealth of vital resources, covering a range of issues: from monitoring development, to concerns about a child; from the screening and referral process, to sharing concerns. We invite you to explore our website in your search for answers.

Infant Development Association (IDA) is a multidisciplinary organization of parents and professionals committed to ensuring optimal developmental outcomes for infants with special needs and their families. The organization brings together professionals from the public and private sector to work collaboratively across disciplines to encourage Best Practices in the field of Early Intervention. The IDA Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Webpage is designed to help link the agencies, organizations and individuals in California that share the commitment to improving the social-emotional well-being of infants, young children and their families. It provides geographically accessible information about resource agencies, including training programs, direct service providers, statewide organizations and funders, as well as interagency groups involved in improving I/ECMH service systems.

IDA co-sponsored developmment of California's Revised Infant Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Training Standard and Competencies [Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon Acrobat Required]

Mental Health Services Act Prevention and Early Intervention (MHSA PEI) (Prop 63) The passage of Proposition 63 (now known as the Mental Health Services Act or MHSA) in November 2004 provides an opportunity for the California Department of Mental Health (DMH) to provide increased funding, personnel and other resources to support county mental health programs and monitor progress toward statewide goals for children, transition age youth, adults, older adults and families. The Act addresses a broad continuum of prevention, early intervention and service needs and the necessary infrastructure, technology and training elements that will effectively support this system.

  • Prevention and Early Intervention is one of the seven components of the MHSA. Links to the main MHSA PEI site and the MHSA PEI County and State Level Policy Direction are available by clicking here
  • Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission County and State Level Policy Direction describes the background and policy direction for the MHSA prevention and early intervention funds. Click here to view [Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon Acrobat Required]
  • The MHSA PEI planning process is introduced by the First 5 Los Angeles County web site.

Project ABC (Los Angeles County) Project ABC is designed to create a system of care for young children who are in need of mental health services in the Los Angeles area. Our goal is ensure that children birth to five years have access to mental health services that are family-centered, strength-based, and culturally competent. Families are the focus of our efforts and are key partners in everything we do. Parents are responsible for ensuring the family voice is the driving force in the treatment of children with emotional and behavioral problems. Family voice and choice is essential to obtaining the best care for our children. Site includes resources for parents, caregivers, professionals and includes tip sheets, video and radio.

Statewide Screening Collaborative Discount for Screening Tools: In response to the need for early identification and intervention to maximize a child’s life trajectory, the Statewide Screening Collaborative* is excited to share the news that there is now a state discount for the following tools that can help detect developmental issues in all young children in California:

  • ASQ-3 and ASQ-SE from Brookes Publishing
  • PEDS and PEDS:DM from EV Press, LLC
  • CHADIS from Total Child Health, Inc.

For information on how to access the discounts use the Special Discounts for California Providers [Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon Acrobat Required]

Revised Training Guidelines and Personnel Competencies for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health has been developed over the past two years to establish voluntary training and competency standards in infant and early childhood mental health that help ensure consistent skills in working with children and families, prenatally through age 5. This document was significantly revised by the Training Guidelines Workgroup as of August 2009. The latest revisions, mainly found at the end of the document, include:

  • A more detailed description of Reflective Practice Facilitation and qualifications for three categories of endorsement in this area
  • The addition of an attestation page to the Portfolio, which affirms the endorsement as voluntary and provides for attestation to validity of the qualifications and supporting documentation submitted by the applicant
  • A one page Summary of Endorsement Categories and Related Knowledge, Training, Clinical Experience, and Reflective Practice Facilitation Requirements.

""  Back to top