Training the Future Child Health Care Workforce to Improve the Behavioral Health of Children, Youth, and Families

Increasing numbers of evidence-based interventions have proven effective in preventing and treating behavioral disorders in children. However, the adoption of these interventions in the health care system and other systems that affect the lives of children has been slow. Moreover, with few exceptions, current training in many fields that involve the behavioral health of children falls short of meeting the needs that exist. In general, this training fails to recognize that behavioral health disorders are among the largest challenges in child health and that changing cognitive, affective, and behavioral health outcomes for children will require new and more integrated forms of care at a population level in the United States.To examine the need for workforce development across the range of health care professions working with children and families, as well as to identify innovative training models and levers to enhance training, the Forum on Promoting Children's Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Health held a workshop in November 2016. Workshop panelists and participants discussed the needs for workforce development across the range of health care professions working with children, youth, and families, and identified innovative training models and levers for change to enhance training. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.Table of ContentsFront Matter1 Introduction and Overview2 Perspectives from Parents3 The National Landscape of Health Care Training and Workforce Processes4 Promising Models5 Accreditation, Certification, and Credentialing6 Other Child-Serving Settings7 Collaborative Efforts8 Possible Next Steps and Reflections on the WorkshopReferencesAppendix A: Workshop Statement of TaskAppendix B: Workshop AgendaAppendix C: Poster Session AbstractsAppendix D: Biographical Sketches of Planning Committee Members, Workshop Speakers, and Moderators