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December 2013

Building Systems in Connecticut to Address Child Trauma

 

Over the past six years, CHDI, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and other partners have worked to build a system of trauma-informed care for children in Connecticut. Our recent Issue Brief highlights this work to improve the quality and availability of care and screening for child traumatic stress. Since 2007 CHDI has trained:

  • nearly 3,000 health and mental health providers, school officials, child welfare workers and law enforcement in trauma related work;
  • 28 community mental health agencies across the State to provide the evidence-based Trauma-Focus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy treatment for children and families.

More recently, CHDI's Bob Franks joined Nelba Marquez Greene before an audience of pediatricians and health providers at Connecticut Children's Medical Center December Grand Rounds. The topic was Child Traumatic Stress and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Franks focused on how pediatricians can screen patients for signs of child traumatic stress and connect families to high quality treatment. He noted that exposure to trauma can be seen as a public health crisis, affecting 3 in 5 children by the time they reach adulthood.

 

Click on the following links for news stories related to these efforts.
 
 
  
Click here for the Issue Brief entitled "Building a Statewide Trauma-Informed System of Care" (12/5/13).
 
Click here to read CHDI's News Release entitled "High Quality Treatment for Child Traumatic Stress Available Throughout Connecticut" (11/18/13).

Advancing Developmental Screening
CHDI recently released an IMPACT entited "The Earlier the Better" Developmental Screening forDev. Screening  Connecticut's Young Children" that highlights the role of screening in a comprehensive approach to school readiness. Click here to read CHDI's Issue Brief on this topic. Click here for our news release.
 
In early November, Lisa Honigfeld wrote a guest blog for the CT Early Childhood Alliance's "Is Your Child's Development on Track? If You're Not Sure, Here's How You can Find Out". Her piece was geared toward helping parents find assessment resources if they have concerns about their children's development. The blog was published on 19 Patch.com news sites across Connecticut.
Meyers Appointed to New State Childhood Advisory Committee
Judith Meyers was recently invited to join the State's newly created Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Advisory Committee. The committee will guide the planning and implementation of the ECCS project funded through the federal Human Resources and Services Administration. For the next three years, the project will focus on coordinating the expansion of development screening in early care and education settings.
Four Schools Selected for Connecticut School-Based Diversion Initiative 
Four Connecticut schools were selected as partners in the Connecticut School-Based Diversion Initiative (SBDI) for the 2013-2014 school year. SBDI is an interagency state and local partnership supported by the Judicial Branch, DCF, the State Department of Education, and local school districts. CHDI is the coordinating center for the program. The schools selected are: East Hartford High School (East Hartford), Platt High School (Meriden), Maloney High School (Meriden) and Venture Academy (Meriden). Click here for the Hartford Courant article on this topic. Click here for CHDI's news release.
Bank of America Provides Mental Health Training Funds to Improve Pediatric Care
The Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund has awarded funding to CHDI to support efforts to help child health providers address mental health issues in their patients. CHDI will use the funding to disseminate Educating Practices in the Community (EPIC) mental health modules to practices throughout Connecticut. EPIC trainers will visit practices and provide training in the following areas: Early Identification of Autism, Mental Health Screening, Connecting Children to Mental Health Services, Maternal Depression Screening and Trauma Screening. The new funding will support presentations and follow-up in 30 child health sites. Children's health care providers can contact Maggy Morales at [email protected] or 860-679-1527 to schedule an EPIC training.
New Database for Children's Mental Health Initiatives
Bob Franks helped develop a searchable database of children's mental health initiatives in Connecticut in collaboration with the Connecticut Health Foundation. The database (www.cmhconnect.com) aims to help children's mental health stakeholders build capacity and collaborate across programs and systems in Connecticut. United Way 211 will administer the website and update it annually.
Coming Soon
 
Co-Management: In January, CHDI will be releasing an IMPACT on co-management research between pediatric primary care and subspecialty providers. The report will evaluate current research and three pilot studies conducted with health and mental health providers in Connecticut over the past several years.
 
Caring for Connecticut's Children Guides: Second Edition
Nearly ten years ago CHDI printed and distributed 50,000 copies of two volumes of "Caring for Connecticut's Children - A Handbook for Parents and Caregivers of Young Children" to parents, early care and education providers, home visitors and health care providers throughout the state. These handbooks have been described as the manual for parents that should accompany every newborn in Connecticut. These second editions, updated with the most current information, will be released early in 2014. Volume One promotes safety and wellness in early childhood. Volume 2 promotes healthy early childhood development. We hope you will find the information helpful.
 

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The CHDI staff wishes you a happy
and healthy holiday! 
Child Health and Development Institute of CT, Inc.
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