Westside Infant-Family Network

EARLY CHILDHOOD RESILIENT PROJECT - WESTSIDE INFANT-FAMILY NETWORK (WIN) PROVIDES CRITICAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO LOW-INCOME CHILDREN AGES BIRTH TO FIVE AND THEIR FAMILIES IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, SPECIFICALLY MAJORITY BLACK AND LATINX/HISPANIC CLIENTS ON THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDES OF LA. AS PART OF ITS EARLY CHILDHOOD RESILIENCE PROJECT (ECRP), WIN REQUESTS $598,539 TO SERVE 950 UNDUPLICATED INDIVIDUALS (CHILDREN AND THEIR CAREGIVERS) OVER FIVE YEARS WITH HOME-BASED OR VIRTUAL CHILD-PARENT PSYCHOTHERAPY (CPP) SUPPORTED BY CASE MANAGEMENT AND PARENT/CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUPS. WIN FOCUSES ON EARLY CHILDHOOD BECAUSE THAT IS THE TIME PERIOD AT WHICH INTERVENTIONS ARE MOST EFFECTIVE AND CAN PREVENT FUTURE TOXIC STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. WIN’S PROGRAM MODEL HAS SUCCESSFULLY SERVED ALMOST 6,000 CHILDREN AND THEIR CAREGIVERS SINCE 2005. SIX COMMUNITY AGENCIES AND SEVERAL FOUNDATIONS UNITED TO CREATE WIN TO ADDRESS A GROWING CRISIS: INFANTS WERE SUFFERING FROM SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION, TODDLERS WERE BEING EXPELLED FROM PRESCHOOL FOR AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, AND PARENTS WERE SO DEPRESSED THEY WERE UNABLE TO CARE FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND THEMSELVES. LEVELS OF TRAUMA AS MEASURED BY ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE (ACE) SCREENINGS ARE HIGH AMONGST THOSE THAT WIN SERVES: 70% OF MEDI-CAL ENROLLEES REPORT AT LEAST ONE ACE, AND 23% FOUR OR MORE ACES. WIN HAS FOUND THAT DESPITE MEDI-CAL STARTING A PROGRAM WITH ITS PROVIDERS TO SCREEN FOR ACES, ONLY FIVE PERCENT OF FAMILIES WHO SCREEN POSITIVE FOR ACES OPT FOR FOLLOW-UP MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. THROUGH A PILOT PROGRAM WITH PARTNER CLINIC WESTSIDE FAMILY HEALTH CENTER (WFHC), A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER (FQHC), WIN LEARNED THAT HEALTH CLINICS NEED DIRECT AND ONGOING SUPPORT TO BUILD THEIR CAPACITY TO PROVIDE ACES SCREENINGS AND REFERRALS. WIN NOW PROVIDES A DEDICATED COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER (CHW) TO PROVIDE ACES SCREENINGS, REFERRALS, AND PSYCHOEDUCATION SUPPORT TO TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF OF THE PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS AT TWO OF ITS PARTNER CLINICS. AND THROUGH CONVERSATIONS WITH THE L.A. COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH (DMH) AND FEEDBACK FROM PARTNERS, WIN STAFF BECAME AWARE THERE ARE FEW RELATIONSHIP-FOCUSED, PARENTAL-SUPPORT SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR PARENTS/CAREGIVERS WITH CHILDREN AGES 0-5. TO ADDRESS THIS GAP, WIN BEGAN PROVIDING ATTACHMENT VITAMINS (AV), A 10-WEEK INTERVENTION THAT USES PEER GROUPS TO HELP PARENTS/CAREGIVERS BETTER UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES AND THEIR ROLE IN THEIR CHILD’S LIFE AND ESTABLISH SECURE ATTACHMENT. THE AV GROUP INTERVENTION ALLOWS WIN TO STILL SERVE THE CHILD-CAREGIVER RELATIONSHIP BUT IN LESS TIME, ON A LARGER SCALE, AND WITH PEER SUPPORT, THEREBY REDUCING BARRIERS AND IMPROVING ACCESS FOR FAMILIES. AND TO SUCCEED IN THERAPY, FAMILIES NEED ADDITIONAL CASE MANAGEMENT SUPPORT TO OVERCOME THE MANY CHALLENGES THEY FACE. BOTH CPP AND AV ARE EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES THAT HELP ADDRESS TRAUMA IN BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN. WIN COORDINATES WITH DIVERSE CHILD-SERVING PARTNERS AND SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE TRAUMA-INFORMED SERVICES THROUGH CLOSE PARTNERSHIPS AND REFERRAL NETWORKS, INCLUDING FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS (FQHCS), THE LA DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH, AND COMMUNITY-BASED HEALTH CLINICS. WIN WILL USE SPECIFIC COMMUNITY-BASED ENGAGEMENT/OUTREACH STRATEGIES TO REACH POTENTIAL CLIENTS FOR THIS PROGRAM AND INCREASE AWARENESS OF, PARTICIPATION IN, AND ACCESS TO, TRAUMA AND GRIEF TREATMENT AND SERVICES FOR AT-RISK LOW-INCOME CHILDREN, AGES 0 TO 5 AND THEIR FAMILIES IN SOUTH L.A. METHODS INCLUDE CANVASSING BY WIN’S OUTREACH TEAM, OFFERING COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND HOSTING COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEES. WIN’S STAFF ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND DEDICATED TO ENSURING PROGRAM PRACTICES ARE EVIDENCE-BASED AND HELP IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES. AN EVALUATION TEAM CONSISTING OF STAFF MEMBERS AND OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS WILL MONITOR PROJECT PROGRESS, COLLECT PERFORMANCE DATA, SUBMIT REQUIRED REPORTS, AND DEVELOP QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PLANS.