Engaging and Supporting Young Children and their Families in Early Childhood Mental Health Services: The Role of the Family Partner

Sameera S Nayak,Molly Brigham,Amy Kelleher,Arielle A J Scoglio,Christy Moulin,Carol Tobias,Kate Roper,Beth E Molnar,Tarsha Bradshaw,Jessica Wolfe,Sade Douglas,Larisa Méndez-Peñate,Jacqueline Rue,Angelina Camacho,Natasha Byars,Malika Arty

doi:10.1007/s10597-021-00796-8

Abstract

This study explores the role of family partners, peer professionals with lived experiences of raising a child with behavioral health needs, and their value in primary and community-care based mental health services for young children aged 0–8 years. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with staff, leadership, and caregiver participants (n = 38) from two early childhood mental health programs and analyzed using thematic analysis. Five interdependent themes emerged: (1) the centrality of lived experience to the family partner role; (2) the importance of the family partner in family engagement and relationship building; (3) the value added by the family partner in navigating systems; (4) the ability of the family partner to build skills and empower caregivers; (5) the role of the family partner in alleviating caregiver stress and other mental health concerns. Adapting and expanding the role of family partners will improve effective mental health care for children and their caregivers.

Highlights

An estimated 9–14% of children between the ages of 0–5 years in the United States experience emotional and/or behavioral difficulties, which can have long-term adverse effects (Brauner & Stephens, 2006)
Qualitative thematic analysis of the interviews and focus groups identified five overarching and interdependent themes that speak to the crucial role of the family partner in family-centered early childhood mental health (ECMH) services: (1) the centrality of lived experience to the family partner role; (2) the importance of the family partner in family engagement and relationship building; (3) the value added by the family partner in navigating systems; (4) the ability of the family partner to build skills and empower caregivers; and (5) the role of the family partner in alleviating caregiver stress and other mental health concerns
Helping caregivers organize and structure their daily lives is often discussed as part of strengthening caregiver competence in caregiver literature focusing on family members with chronic illnesses or disabilities (Reinhard et al, 2008), and we find that these are important aspects of service delivery to support those caring for young children

Summary

Introduction

An estimated 9–14% of children between the ages of 0–5 years in the United States experience emotional and/or behavioral difficulties, which can have long-term adverse effects (Brauner & Stephens, 2006). Early childhood mental health (ECMH) intervention for these young children can be critically important for healthy development and to ensure future success in education, employment, and relationships (Boat et al, 2016). ECMH can be influenced by factors at all levels of the socio-ecological model (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Individual and community-level factors affecting families such as homelessness, poverty, maltreatment, caregiver separation or loss, untreated mental health and substance use disorders, and other social and environmental determinants have been shown to negatively impact ECMH (Bayer et al, 2011; Garner & Shonkoff, 2012). At the same time, nurturing relationships with caregivers, and the early identification of behavioral difficulties with family-centered care can help mitigate these risks and promote positive mental health outcomes (Burak & Rolfes-Haase, 2018). Peer support workers can be one avenue to better integrate family-centered care practices into ECMH

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Discussion

Conclusion