Collaborative Activities Related to Leadership and Workforce Issues

The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health has been active in a number of collaborative efforts related to leadership and workforce issues in human services and the behavioral health field.  These "projects to watch" can offer information and lessons learned as they continue to move forward. 

• Maryland's Strategic Planning for Workforce Development Initiative
• Annapolis Coalition on Behavioral Health Workforce Education/Children's Workforce Issues
• NASMHPD's Children, Youth and Families Division-Subcommittee on Workforce
• Consortium with USF and other Universities for Systems of Care Training
• The Federal/National Partnership for Transformation of Children's Mental

Maryland's Strategic Planning for Workforce Development Initiative: Using a "Search" Conference Methodology to Begin the Process

A pilot meeting in June 2002 titled, The Workforce Challenge: Developing New Partnerships to Serve Children and Families within a System of Care, was sponsored by the Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Health, the Maryland Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services, the Coalition for Human Resource Development and facilitated by the National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health, This working meeting was developed to assist the state of Maryland in developing new partnerships and linkages among its state universities, colleges, professional organizations, accrediting boards, training organizations, and families thus addressing the mental health workforce challenge for children and their families within the state. Maryland is continuing its efforts to address workforce issues with a series of strategic planning meetings starting in September 2004 culminating with a state conference on workforce issues in April 2005.

This initiative used a "search" conference methodology to bring a large number of stakeholders together in order to begin a planning process to address the challenge of workforce need and skills within the children's mental health field. The Search Conference served as a pilot for other states that are interested in doing strategic planning for a large stakeholder group around workforce issues within their state.

Annapolis Coalition on Behavioral Health Workforce Education/Children's Workforce Issues

The Annapolis Coalition (www.annapoliscoalition.org) is comprised of a number of different organizations that are committed to building "a national consensus on the nature of the workforce crisis and to promote improvement in the quality and relevance of education and training by identifying and implementing change strategies." It is guided by a National Steering Committee that includes experts on workforce in mental health and additions, children and adolescents, culturally competent care, family and consumer issues, and recovery-oriented approaches.

The Georgetown National TA Center has worked consistently over the last few years with the Annapolis Coalition and brings the voice of children and family issues to the Coalition. The TA Center is a member of the National Steering Committee that meets through a monthly conference call as well as a yearly meeting to address education and training issues for adults and children. As part of the National Steering Committee, the TA Center has been an important partner to highlight the issues of workforce dealing with children with behavioral health issues and their families. Georgetown Faculty has recently published a paper on children's workforce issues with the Coalition for publication in their Journal. This article will form the basis for an issue brief on human service delivery workforce issues for children and their families. The Annapolis Coalition is an important partner with the TA Center as they are fully engaged in transformation efforts at multiple levels.

NASMHPD's Children, Youth and Families Division-Subcommittee on Workforce

In June 2004, the National Association of Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) Children, Youth and Families Division set up a subcommittee to address workforce issues related to children's mental health and state delivery systems for these children. The subcommittee on workforce, which is co-chaired, by Brenda Scafidi of Mississippi and Joan Dodge of the TA Center will begin to look at this important issue for states and how to assist states with the education and training of professionals who work with children and their families. One activity is the development of a network of statewide children's workforce initiatives (i.e. CT, MO, PA, MD) that provide peer sharing in this area. The work of the subcommittee will be accomplished through conference calls with members and began in November.

Consortium with USF and other Universities for Systems of Care Training

A small group began exploration in June 2004 of the possibility of several universities forming a Consortium that would offer a graduate certificate and/or a degree in children's mental health with an emphasis on systems of care. Dr. Robert Friedman, chair of the Louis de la Parte Institute at the University of South Florida (USF) circulated copies of a Consortium concept paper and provided an overview of his thinking behind the Consortium. He indicated that a number of people present had discussed for some time an interest in a training program that would address the critical shortage that the children's mental health field faces regarding trained mental health workers. The Consortium is in a development stage and is being spearheaded by Dr. Carol MacKinnon-Lewis of the University of South Florida.

The Federal/National Partnership for Transformation of Children's Mental Health

The Federal/National Partnership Meeting that is being planned for November 22, 2004 and is charged with implementing the recommendations of the President's New Freedom Commission for children and their families. Workforce issues will be part of the agenda for the Federal National Partnership Meeting.