Background

In response to the growing need for children’s behavioral health services and the need to improve coordination of data collection and reporting across child-serving systems, the Data Integration Workgroup of the Children’s Behavioral Health Plan Implementation Advisory Board was formed in 2021 and includes representatives of children’s behavioral health providers, family members, family advocates, and state agencies.

The workgroup’s initial report included recommendations to strengthen Connecticut’s integration of children’s behavioral health data, including development of a system-level dashboard. The goal of the resulting Children’s Behavioral Health System Dashboard for Connecticut is to make data about the children’s behavioral health system transparent, accessible, and publicly available to providers, policymakers, and families alike.

The System Dashboard is intended to:

  • Bring together key children’s behavioral health system data in one place
  • Help providers, policymakers, schools, and families understand the scope of children’s behavioral health needs and where gaps exist
  • Show whether indicators vary by demographic, geographic, or other characteristics, when data permit
  • Display trends in data over time
  • Inform planning, policy, and decision-making

 This dashboard will continue to be updated and expanded over time as more comprehensive data become available.

  • Behavioral health providers can use regional data to plan substance use interventions
  • Nonprofits can use prevalence data in grant proposals
  • State agencies, higher education, and training staff can use workforce data to design and strengthen workforce development strategies
  • Schools and families can use disaggregated school discipline data to inform school policies and strengthen equity
  • Legislators and other policymakers can use the dashboard to make data-driven decisions and policies to strengthen the well-being of children and families across Connecticut

The dashboard is organized around what needs exist, how services are functioning, and where group differences or disparities may exist. At present, dashboard indicators focus on prevalence and identification, system-indicated needs, workforce, and social drivers of health. 

Positive Childhood Experiences, Quality, Access, Cost, and Outcomes were also identified as especially important system components; however, Connecticut currently has limited system-wide data in these areas, highlighting an ongoing opportunity for the state to strengthen data infrastructure. 

As more comprehensive data become available, these additional indicators will be incorporated into future dashboard updates. Sign up for CHDI’s email list to learn about future updates.

The indicators included in this dashboard draw on multiple state, federal, and publicly available data sources to provide a broad view of children’s behavioral health in Connecticut, including:

  • The Connecticut School Health Survey and other population-based reports provide data on the prevalence and identification of behavioral health needs.
  • Indicators related to school-based experiences use data from the Connecticut State Department of Education and the Juvenile Justice Equity dashboard.
  • Relevant state agencies and professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, also provide licensing, workforce, and provider data.
  • For indicators related to social drivers of health, the dashboard uses datasets from the American Community Survey to inform its analysis.
  • Additional data sources for indicators across the framework include state agencies (including the State Departments of Public Health, Education, and Children and Families), the CT Suicidal and Self-Harm Emergency Department, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, to monitor the state’s child behavior system.

Dashboard charts are updated as new data become available and can be used to assess trends over time and inform planning, resource allocation, and policy development. Each chart links directly to the original public data sources for additional context and detail.

VIEW THE DASHBOARD

Questions?

For questions about this dashboard, please contact CHDI’s Alyssa Korell, PhD.