History
Minnesota state agencies and interested
local providers began to discuss mental health and Part C (early
intervention) in 1993. Through these informal initial discussions,
participants sought a common understanding of the infants and young
children within Part C for whom there are mental health concerns. It
became apparent that there was no common definition of infant mental
health nor an infrastructure to address the mental health of infants
and toddlers (let alone those who were also served by Part C). Yet the
needs of young children were great along the entire continuum, from
universal needs for healthy relationships and general health to needs
for intensive therapeutic intervention for some infants and toddlers
and their families.
In 1996 Part C (through the Department of
Education) granted dollars to the Center for Early Education and
Development (CEED) to engage in a feasibility study for an infant
mental health services framework in Minnesota. CEED convened a
workgroup comprised of community providers and other key stakeholders
to assist with conducting the assessment. This group came to agreement
on a common definition of Infant Mental Health, identified the
continuum of needs in the state, and began discussions about the
service system. The discussions and study were labor- and
time-intensive. CEED surveyed hundreds of stakeholders from various
fields and engaged focus groups across the state in order to identify
service delivery models currently in place in Minnesota. Using those
surveys and focus groups, as well as a nationwide review of service
models, CEED presented a set of recommendations to the state
Interagency Coordinating Council.
Current Plans and Activities
While the Minnesota Infant Mental Health
Project (IMH) was engaged in conducting the needs assessment, its
staff and workgroup explored the possibility of reviving the Minnesota
Association for Infant Mental Health (which had been inactive for more
than 10 years). Although this association has not yet become active
again, the IMH project succeeded in assisting the
Minnesota
Association for Children's Mental Health in adding an early childhood
strand in their annual statewide conference. This early childhood
focus has grown within the conference each year since its inception in
2001.
Currently CEED provides a variety of trainings on topics related to infant
and early childhood mental health to agencies, providers, and
students. CEED's Introduction to Infant Mental Health online course is
offered three sessions per year. Course participants have included professionals
from a variety of fields, from as far away as Alaska. While not a
clinical course, Introduction to Infant Mental Health provides a
theoretical and practical foundation for teachers, child care
providers, and specialized personnel to understand infant mental
health.
At the state agency level, staff are
focused on developing the capacity of individual agencies to address
the mental health concerns associated with infants and toddlers. As
the capacity of each agency (education, health, and human services)
becomes more explicit, there are additional opportunities for
interagency planning and specialized personnel to understand infant
mental health.
The
Minnesota Department of Human
Services (DHS) has developed an eligibility schema to assist in
qualifying children to receive mental health services. The agency has
implemented legislation that mandates screen for mental health
concerns. At the same time, DHS is working to promote this method of
identifying children through both the public health systems and the
private health insurance system. The agency has modified the Medical
Assistance benefit set to allow for more developmentally appropriate
services for young children. In addition, it is committed to
developing well-trained and accessible personnel to provide a
continuum of mental health services to young children and their
families.
The
Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)
has been working on articulating the role of special education in
identifying and providing services for children who have mental health
concerns. Part C staff are now poised to articulate eligibility,
services providers, and payers for infants and toddlers with
disabilities.
The
Minnesota Department of Health
continues to lead many initiatives focused on assuring there are
services and supports available to address the mental health needs of
children. Among recent efforts are a focus on coordinating screening
and an expansion of the Follow Along Program (*use of social emotional
protocols to identify mental health concerns in very young children).
There is now a greater opportunity to
enhance and expand capacities to address the mental health needs of
young children and their families across agencies and resources. Part
C and Children's Mental Health are engaging in a variety of
collaborative efforts to ensure the appropriate identification of
infants and toddlers and access to a coordinated, comprehensive
service system. The following
definitions of terms have been agreed upon by those working within
Minnesota state agencies:
Early Childhood Mental Health is
the term to be used when referring to young children, birth to
kindergarten entrance, and encompasses Infant Mental Health. Early
childhood mental health refers to the total service and infrastructure
while Infant Mental Health is a methodology embedded within.
Early Intervention Services are the
services provided within Part C. For the most part, these are
different than special education services. State staff will work on
articulating a Part C infrastructure that describes eligibility,
services, and payers for mental health services.
Disabilities include infants and
toddlers with mental health conditions/disorders within Part C.
This overview of Infant Mental Health was
based on a document written by Sue Benolken at the
Minnesota Department of Human Services. Please contact Sue at
651-284-4156.
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