Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health (LAUNCH)

Prodject LAUNCH will address the unmet needs of children from birth to 8 years of age in Detroit by promoting their health and wellness across key developmental domains. MPSI-PL will prioritize improving the capacities and well-being of adults who care for young children in this catchment area, including parents/primary caregivers, early childhood mental health practitioners, pediatric health care providers, and early childhood educators. By increasing children’s access to high quality care, we will be able to help prevent serious emotional and behavioral problems, address concerns early, and help children and their families thrive.

• Identify young children with social-emotional-behavioral and developmental health concerns to refer to services.
• Identify parents/caregivers with trauma history and mental health symptoms and make referrals.
•  Increase identification of needs and concerns in more children and parents/caregivers over time, in order to increase access to services to improve health.
• Identify infant and early childhood needs in multiple domains of development among children at-risk for poor outcomes, in order to inform services.

Goal 1. Conduct culturally appropriate behavioral health screening and assessments of children birth to 8 years old and their parents and caregivers.

Objective
By end of Year 1 (9/29/2024), 50% of children aged birth – 8 years seen at Wayne Pediatrics will be screened using the SWYC, ASQ, and PSC-17. 1b. By end of Year 1 (9/29/2024), 50% of parents/caregivers of children aged birth – 8 years seen at Wayne Pediatrics will be screened using the ACEs Questionnaire, EPDS, PHQ-9, and GAD-7. 1c. Implementation of screening and assessments for children birth – 8 years and their parents/caregivers seen at Wayne Pediatrics will both increase by 7.5% each subsequent year of the grant, for a total of 80% screened by end of Year 5. 1d. Infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) partner agencies’ staff will screen and assess 325 referred families in total each grant year using the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA), PICCOLO, and Attachment During Stress Scales (ADS), for a total of 1,625 families across 5 years.

Needs Addressed

• Increase access to and provision of evidence-based early childhood interventions for children and families at-risk or those with current developmental concerns. Increase number of trained clinicians.
• Provide evidence-based early intervention services for children and families at-risk or with developmental concerns.
• Improve quality of work and reduce burn-out and turnover among IECMH professionals.

Goal 2. Provide infant and early childhood mental health therapeutic (intervention) services for young children and families.

Objective
2a. Partner IECMH agencies will train and supervise 5 total infant mental health dual-title (IMH DT) interns to implement the Michigan Model of Infant Mental Health Home Visiting (IMH-HV) with 3 families per intern each grant year, for a total of 15 families served per year and 75 families served over the 5-year grant. 2b. Partner IECMH program staff (45 staff) will provide IMH-HV to 325 families and young children each grant year, for a total of 1,625 families served over 5-year grant period. 2c. Provide weekly Reflective Supervision/Consultation to MPSI-PL team, IMH DT interns, early childhood education directors and staff, and administrative and leadership at partner mental health agencies for duration of grant to improve quality of services.

• Increase parent/caregiver knowledge about early childhood development and health to promote child wellness and prevent problems.
• Increase parent/caregiver knowledge regarding child and family topics of importance to them.
• Increase parent/caregiver knowledge about common challenging behaviors in young

Goal 3. Provide family and parent training about early child development and culturally appropriate and effective