Building the Infant Mental Health Workforce

GIH Behavioral Health Funders Network

When:

Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern / 12:00 p.m. Central / 11:00 a.m. Mountain / 10:00 a.m. Pacific

Who:

Judith Meyers, Children’s Fund of Connecticut
Deb Weatherston, Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health

What:

An incredible amount of development occurs during infancy, and what happens during this period can affect children’s mental health for years to come. In response, the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health (MI-AIMH) developed a set of standards for early care professionals, informed by a scientific and clinical study. These standards titled the MI-AIMH Competency Guidelines, identify the specialized knowledge and skills a birth-to-three professional needs, including information about early brain development, recognition of environmental risks, and provisions and requirements of laws affecting young children.

While many states (AK, AZ, CO, CT, ID, IN, KS, MI, MN, NM, OK, TX, WI, and VA) currently use these standards to promote professional competency and infant mental health, there is much room for improvement in all states. This webinar promoted infant mental health through workforce development, policy, education, and ultimately, systems change, as well as the role some foundations are playing.