Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Workforce
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Background
In Washington State, it is difficult for families to receive behavioral health services for their children. This is particularly true for young children. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) is a diverse field made up of many professionals working within a broad array of programs such as home visiting, early intervention, pediatrics, behavioral health and more. Providers work with children and families from birth to age five, to ensure children have nurturing relationships and environments so they grow-up healthy and thriving. Research shows a 13% ROI for these types of comprehensive, high-quality, birth through five services.
The problem
Simply put, the current supply of the IECMH workforce is not adequate to meet the service demand. Simultaneously, there is no centralized coordinating body to address workforce needs in Washington State. It is a discipline that crosses multiple roles, professions, settings and state agencies including DCYF, DOH, and HCA. Therefore, workforce efforts are often siloed.
