Executive Summary

1. What Results Do You Want?

In order for children to meet developmental milestones, learn, grow and lead productive lives, it is critical that they be healthy.  Good social-emotional and mental health is a key component of children’s health and healthy development. National data document children experience a significant range of mental, social, emotional and behavioral health conditions, and most of their problems are amenable to intervention.  State policymakers can contribute to the social, emotional and behavioral health of children through strategies that promote awareness and work to identify and treat the needs of children and their families.  It is important for states to consider the range of interventions, from promoting children’s healthy development to addressing serious mental health disorders.  States can: adopt continuum of strategies to promote social, emotional and mental health in children, establish strategies for early identification and intervention for children at risk and provide for crisis and long-term intervention strategies for those with the more serious conditions.  Mental health disorders can be identified in a child’s early years, and when treated, children and youth with mental health problems are more successful at home, in schools and in their communities.  An important aspect of supporting children’s mental health is ensuring culturally competent services that involve families and youth in their own treatment plans.  Whether the child is two years old or fifteen years old, family involvement is a proven practice.  By coordinating efforts at the state level and ensuring that all families have access to necessary, quality care, state policymakers help children to grow up with the supports they need to be healthy and productive. See more information on  priorities and  indicators in this area.

2. How Are Your Kids?

Most mental health disorders begin with early signs or identifiable risks. Even infants and toddlers in the first two years of life can experience risks or more serious conditions.  Just over 20 percent of children (or 1 in 5) have either currently or at some point in their lives experienced a seriously debilitating mental health disorder.  Child mental health disorders are not only very common but can also begin at a very young age. Children and youth with mental health problems have lower educational achievement, greater involvement with the criminal justice system and fewer stable and longer-term placements in the child welfare system than children with other disabilities. Unfortunately, most children with mental health disorders (75 to 80 percent) do not get the supports and services that they need.  Learn about root causes, review data on children’s social, emotional and behavioral health for your state and see guidance for setting projections and targets.

 3. What Can Policymakers Do?

Strategies

 Promote early childhood social and emotional development  

• Develop initiatives to increase understanding of early social and emotional development
• Integrate social and emotional development into existing programs and services

Prevent social, emotional and behavioral health disorders

• Expand opportunities for early identification
• Invest in family mental health services and supports
• Fully implement CAPTA and IDEA

Connect the mental health needs of children with appropriate services

• Expand staff training and development
• Address gaps in Medicaid reimbursement
• Provide specialized treatment children who have experienced child abuse, substance abuse and domestic violence
• Develop statewide, shared, comprehensive resources for services and supports

Success Story: Connecticut   

 4. How Can You Ensure Success?

Guidance on successful implementation and accountability strategies to promote children’s social, emotional and behavioral health.

 5. How Can You Sustain Success?

Guidance on financing and investing in results.