SLO mental health report on kids under 3, LGBTQ mental health workers

Mental health officials released a 43-page report on two grant-funded programs that dealt separately with early childhood screening and an unrelated study of new training for clinical professionals working with LGBTQ clients.

The effort found benefits in both programs. In the first, parents found greater understanding of the developmental progress of their children under 3. In the second unrelated study, mental health professionals reported serving more LGBTQ clients.

The project was designed primarily to contribute to learning, rather than providing a service. San Luis Obispo County worked with Cal Poly's Master of Public Policy program to conduct this evaluation and over the past year has interviewed program participants, reviewed program data, and made recommendations for projects going forward. The two projects and objectives were:

• 3-By-3 Developmental Screening Partnership – Facilitated by First 5 of San Luis Obispo, this project tested multiple methods of administering developmental screening tools to young children at local pediatric offices. The learning objective was to examine preferences for various delivery methods of screening tools in an effort to increase interest from pediatricians, parents, and guardians.
• SLOACCEPTance – Facilitated by Cal Poly and Dr. Jay Bettergarcia, this project tested a unique curriculum and training program to increase LGBTQ+ cultural competency for mental health professionals. The learning objective was to examine the impact of the training on clinician’s effectiveness and willingness to work with the LGBTQ+ community in a mental health setting.

3-By-3 Developmental Screening Partnership

The 3 By 3 Developmental Screening Partnership project was rooted in three basic facts: one in four (1/4) children ages 0-5 are at risk for mental health, behavioral, or developmental delays; early intervention improves long-term outcomes; and a low proportion of children are screened. The project began screening children at select clinics and offering insights to parents. As a result: 

• 78% of parents surveyed reported that the program helped them better understand their child’s development. (Goal of 70%)  
• 65% of all parents surveyed reported that they know more now about what social and emotional abilities to expect at this age. (Goal of 60%)
• 36% of all parents surveyed reported that they plan to do something different with their child based on their learning. (Goal of 25%)

SLOACCETance 

SLOACCEPTance gauged mental health professionals on knowledge, skill and attitude in treating LGBTQ clients. As a result of the new curriculum and training, the study found that:

• 58% of participating mental health professionals reporting a larger number of transgender and gender diverse clients. 
• 66% reported that they were able to serve more queer and sexual minority clients. 
• 36% reported an increase in the number of LGBTQ+ clients served compared to their pre-training caseload.

The Innovation Evaluation is available here: MHSA-INN-Evaluation-Report-2018-2022.pdf (ca.gov)