Enhance Services for Vulnerable Families
What Can Policymakers Do?
·
Provide supports to reduce families economic hardship
·
Family leave
for parents in
California
,
Washington
, and
New Jersey
provide paid leave for issues such as caring for newborns, newly adopted children, or a seriously ill parent, spouse or partner.
·
Short-term emergency needs
are met by Minnesota’s
legislatively established
Diversionary Work
Program
designed to help unemployed parents with immediate problems like housing or utilities instead of enrolling in welfare.
·
Establish comprehensive emotional, behavioral and substance abuse treatment services
·
Provide mental health services
for parent and child, such as
Starting Early, Starting Smart
a federally funded initiative that demonstrated the effectiveness of a comprehensive approach to mental health services in early care and education settings.
[i]
States such as
Arizona
have built on the research
[ii]
to provide mental health services through Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
[i]
Springer, J. F., et al. (2003). Starting Early Starting Smart Final Report: Summary of Findings. Washington, DC: Casey Family Programs and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
[ii]
McAllister, C. and Thomas, T. (2007). Infant mental health and family support: Contributions of Early Head Start to an integrated model for community-based early childhood programs,
Infant Mental Health Journal
,
28
: 2, 192-215, University of Pittsburgh