The Children’s Plan: Improving the Social and Emotional Well Being
of New York’s Children and Their Families
September 25, 2009
Why is reform needed?
• 1 out of 10 children have a serious emotional disturbance, more children suffer from psychiatric illness than from autism, leukemia, diabetes, and AIDS combined. Only 20% of those with an emotional disturbance receive treatment.
• Emotional disturbance is associated with the highest rate of school dropout among all disability groups.
• Only 30% of children age 14 and older with emotional disturbance graduate with a standard high school diploma.
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year olds.
National outcomes show troubling trends…..
In New York State…
• One in six New York City adolescents (170,000 young people) are currently disconnected from school or employment
• In New York State, nearly 700 young children will be expelled from preschool for behavioral reasons each year. The expulsion rates for preschool children is 3.2 times the rates for K-12.
Our Historical Response
Predominately Late Entry into Care Results in High-Cost Interventions
• Inpatient
• Residential Placements in all Systems
• Special Education
• Juvenile Detention
• Foster Care
Late Entry into Care Also Leads to….
• School districts have high rates of special education designations, that are costly yet demonstrate poor outcomes
• Mental illness continues as the leading cause of long term disability in the United States, with a high governmental cost burden
• The health outcomes of individuals with mental illness are very poor, adults with a mental illness die 25 years sooner than those without. Lack of consistent healthcare results in high costs in emergency room visits and inpatient care.
Adverse Childhood ExperiencesAdverse Childhood Experiences
Social, Emotional, & Cognitive Impairment
Adoption ofHealth-risk Behaviors
Disease, Disability
EarlyEarlyDeathDeath
The Influence of AdverseChildhood Experiences Throughout Life
How well do the current state agency structures and policies meet the needs of children and
their families?
State Policy and Governmental Agency Structure
• Historically “silo” approach – Agencies act independently in a narrow band with the child and family.
• High cost services dominate the programmatic menu
• Multiple “helpers” involved with the child and family – well intended but can be costly and overwhelming
How do we capitalize on the resources, knowledge and
commitment that we have to turn this around?
Each young person being fully prepared for adulthood with a supportive family and community, effective
school and high quality health care.
The Children’s Plan
A Vehicle for Dramatic Improvements in
Child Outcomes
Widening The Lens: A Public Health ApproachVisual Framework for social emotional development and learning in New York State (0-18yrs population 4.5 million 2006 US census estimate)
Emotional Disturbancewith intensive need for specialty services (~5%)
225,000 children
Direct vulnerable individuals to optimistic paths
Early identification of and intervention with at-risk behavior
(~12%)
540,000 children
Intervene early when developmental barriers or concerns arise
Youth development builds resiliency factors for all children
3.74 million children
Strengthens all children’s emotional and social development and learning
4.5 million children
Unprecedented and Historic Collaboration
One hundred and twenty five (125) participants (parents, youth, local governments, providers, stakeholders, advocacy groups) worked to develop recommendations for The Plan
Over one thousand (1,000) individuals attended a series of five regional forums to provide feedback on The Plan
The Plan was submitted to Legislature under the signature of ALL child-serving state agency Commissioners
Each of the nine (9) child-serving agencies have made a commitment to The Plan and twenty-two (22) joint initiatives to be addressed within the first year
In August, 2009, there was amended legislation to capture the more holistic nature of the plan and incorporates the involvement of all nine child-caring agencies and family and youth partners. It invests responsibility for coordinating activities among the agencies and stakeholders in CCF.
Values Underpinning The Plan
Policy Framework
Children and their families are front and center. Care is driven by needs articulated by young people and their families
Attention to the entire span of childhood (infancy to young adult)
Move beyond symptom reduction to developmental imperatives
Emphasis on preventive measures to promote emotional well-being, in identifying children with significant emotional stressors early and in providing expert care and treatment for children with serious emotional disturbances.
Childhood transitions present a challenge to all and increased risk to some. We must minimize disruptive transitions AND support children who experience them
The Five Collective Commitments
Social and emotional development and learning form a foundation for success
in school, work and in life.
Every Action Should Strengthen Our Capacity to Engage and Support Families
in Raising Children and Youth With Emotional Health and Resilience
The right service at the right time in the right amount
One family-One planRather than….
An adequately sized workforce that is culturally competent and steeped in a new paradigm of integrated, family-driven care
must be developed and sustained
Joint Initiatives:Working Together We Are…..
• Increasing awareness and understanding of social emotional development in children through public education, social marketing, clinical and staff training, and the creation of a clearinghouse of resources of information.
• Identifying mental health problems early by integrating and expanding mental health services to other settings, such as probation, foster care, and schools.
• Ensuring provision of effective services by increasing access to training and consultation services for pediatricians and primary care physicians, OMRDD youth, early child care programs, and rural areas of the State.
• Engaging families and youth in services and program and policy development. Providing resources to help support social and emotional development.
Every action should strengthen our capacity to engage and support families in raising their children with
emotional health and resilience
Guidance to Schools from State Educationon SEDL
Guidance to Schools from State Educationon SEDL
Mental Health Consultation to Early
Child Care Programs
Mental Health Consultation to Early
Child Care Programs
New York StateParent Education
Partnership(NYSPEP)
New York StateParent Education
Partnership(NYSPEP)
Promotional Campaign on SEDL
Promotional Campaign on SEDL
Early ChildhoodInitiatives
Early ChildhoodInitiatives
Local Applications of the Children’s Plan
• Statewide Children’s Plan Summits: NYC, Syracuse, and Buffalo
• Office of Planning updated OMH web site to include a catalog of links to an array of data, reports and planning resources for state and local planners. http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/planning/
Staying Engaged
• Find out more:http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/engage
• Take Action– Support The Plan Implementation– Advance relevant recommendations and vision within
your Agency or Community
• Take Stock – Provide [email protected]
If you want to go fast, walk aloneIf you want to go far, walk together
African proverb