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Bright Futures and a Systems of Care Approach
Across the country, schools, early childhood, public health,
and mental health are seeking ways to collaborate to promote
the social and emotional well-being of all children, families
and communities. Georgetown University has developed a cross-agency
training curriculum using Bright Futures and Systems of Care
principles to introduce a public health approach to mental
health.
Since its inception, Georgetown University partnered with
a number of states to deliver this innovative training to well
over two thousand school nurses, guidance counselors, early
childhood professionals, social workers, families, public health
professionals, and community mental health service providers.
Working in community-based teams, participants will enhance
their own skills and learn how to build community service delivery
systems through interactive learning sessions, case studies,
and planning opportunities.
Goals of theTraining are to:
- Understand a public health approach to mental health.
- Apply the concepts of early identification, intervention,
collaboration, family engagement, and cultural competence
in their work.
- Identify gaps in connecting early childhood schools, public
health, and mental health to support children’s social
and emotional well-being.
- Explore how a community team approach can improve service
delivery for children and families, and identify best practices
for building community partnerships.
- Learn how to utilize Bright Futures developmental tools
to promote the social and emotional well-being of infants,
children, adolescents, and families in multiple service settings.
- Develop strategies that will enable service providers to
create a community-wide referral network and implement “facilitated
referral” practices.
Georgetown also works with states and communities to sustain
the momentum created by the trainings. By bringing together
the strengths and expertise of families, early childhood schools,
public health and mental health through ongoing training and
technical assistance, states can foster community service delivery
systems that build the resilience of children, families, and
communities.
Georgetown’s Initiative has three distinct phases.
Phase I includes consultation with state
leaders to develop customized training using Bright Futures
within a system of care framework. Training materials include
the Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health Guide and
Toolkit and the Bright Futures What to Expect and
When to Seek Help Developmental Tools.
Phase II includes continued consultation
with state leaders to create a collaborative statewide training
and technical assistance capacity to implement the vision of
a public health approach for mental health. Georgetown University
will help states identify and build on existing structures,
capacity, and leadership to support change. In Missouri for
example, future plans include creating innovation zones to
develop integrated school-based, community-linked, services
and supports for all children and partnering with the University
of Missouri Center for the Advancement of Mental Health Practices
in Schools to provide ongoing training and technical assistance.
Phase III includes working intensively with
teams from selected communities on locally identified challenges.
Georgetown University designs a forum where community leadership
teams develop a strategic action plan and receive customized
technical assistance that addresses their community challenge.
These early adopters of the public health approach to mental
health will serve as catalysts for statewide transformation.
For additional information contact:
Ellen B. Kagen, M.S.W.
Georgetown University
National Technical Assistance Center
for Children’s Mental Health
Box 571485
Washington, DC 20057-1485
202-687-5087
kageneb@georgetown.edu
OR
Neal Horen, Ph.D.
Georgetown University
National Technical Assistance Center
for Children’s Mental Health
Box 571485
Washington, DC 20057-1485
202-687-5443
horenn@georgetown.edu
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