EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM:
Ensuring Social, Emotional and Behavioral Health

Project Description:

(1) Increased intervention in physician’s practices for young children in Wake County with developmental problems, and

(2) Worked to increase the supply of local providers trained with the most current and effective intervention strategies .

Additionally, since children living in poverty are particularly at risk for developmental problems, this proposal targets providers who care for a significant number of low-income children.

The project included the following activities:

• Recruit primary care and mental health providers
      who serve a significant number of low-income
      children;
• Train primary care physicians to recognize young
      children with social, emotional and behavioral
      problems, provide brief, effective intervention when
      appropriate and refer to more specialized
      services when that is necessary;
• Train mental health providers in effective practice for
      intermediate and longer term intervention for social,
      emotional and behavioral problems;
• Train primary care providers and mental health
      providers to use effective practice management
      strategies (appropriate coding, claims filing
      procedures; etc.) in order to minimize barriers to
      providing services for children;
• Provide training in three phases for both primary
      care and mental health providers including:
      Implementation/Training; Mentoring/Consultation;
      and Surveillance/Support;
• Participate in Wake County’s Young Child Mental
      Health Initiative funded by the Triangle United Way.

The Expected Outcomes and Measurements

• Increase number of low income children who
      receive timely referrals for brief interventions
      conducted in primary care offices;
  
• Increase number of low income children who
     receive timely referrals to mental health providers
     for intermediate or longer term intervention;
• Increase number of low income children who
     secure care for social/emotional/behavioral problems;
• Increase number of primary care physicians
     and mental health providers who are participating
     in training/mentoring;
• Increase in perceived competence of primary
      care physicians and mental health providers to
      identify, treat, and/or refer children with
      behavioral/mental health needs;
• Increase number of comprehensive
     developmental/medical evaluations and completed
     Individual Family Service Plans for low income
     children;
• Reduce time between identification of developmental
     issues and intervention;
• Increase in family/parent satisfaction with providers
     care of their children’s behavioral and emotional
     health concerns; and,
• Increase provider satisfaction with practice
     management issues coding, claims processes,
     reimbursement, etc.) related to providing care for
     children with social, emotional and behavioral
     problems.