Important strides are being made to enhance communication and collaboration across the child-serving system so that families and youth with behavioral health needs receive efficient, effective, and collaborative care.
Engagement Workgroup (formerly Family Care Connections)
The Engagement Workgroup aims to recruit families, youth, and school communities in co-leading the development and implementation of an equitable comprehensive school mental model, with the goal of enhancing the social, emotional, and physical health of youth and their families.
Workgroup co-chairs: Mikhela Hull, Carelon and Marlene Gomez, CHDI
Upcoming Meetings (usually the 4th Monday of each month):
- Monday, January 27, 2025 from 4:30-5:30 pm
- Monday, February 24, 2025 from 4:30-5:30pm
Areas of Focus and Resources
Connect4Families Toolkit
The Connect4Families Toolkit simplifies access to behavioral health services and facilitates collaboration among families, pediatric providers, and schools. This online toolkit was published in September 2023 by the FCC Workgroup to promote communication and collaboration among child-serving sectors and support families and youth as full partners in driving the transformation of Connecticut’s system of care. It includes an updated, comprehensive behavioral health service directory, best practices for cross-sector collaboration, customizable communication forms, relevant privacy/confidentiality laws, tips from youth and families, billing opportunities for collaborative activities, and more.
Outreach to enhance local connections
Network of Care Managers at Carelon are conducting outreach and engagement with professionals from across the state to identify existing collaborations and facilitate new connections between pediatric providers, school personnel, and behavioral health clinicians. Our team is eager to hear about your experiences with collaboration across disciplines and how to better meet your needs. Get involved.
Resource mapping
In collaboration with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Child Health and Development Institute (CHDI), Network of Care Managers at Carelon are working on keeping an up-to-date inventory of community-based behavioral health services for children, including Mobile Crisis, care coordination, and outpatient care. The goal of this effort is to create a public-facing resource map comprised of these local resources.
If you are looking for information about community-based services, please contact the Network of Care Manager team or see the service directory in the Connect4Families toolkit.
Past Resources
The Family Care Connections (FCC) Workgroup supported the development of Family Care Connections, which are designed to center youth and family voice and choice in the development and implementation of an individualized and coordinated plan of care that includes primary care, schools and behavioral health and has the goal of supporting and enhancing the social, emotional and physical health of children, youth and their families.
- Family Care Connections Logic Model (2021)
- Family Care Connections Flyer (English)
- Family Care Connections Flyer (Spanish)
Information exchange
To better facilitate the sharing of information across schools, pediatric primary care providers, and behavioral health care providers, the Family Care Connections workgroup is exploring current and novel strategies in Connecticut. This includes promoting the state’s Health Information Exchange (Connie,) and exploring the use of emerging platforms to address all determinants of health to better coordinate services across child and family need.