Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Illinois focusing on the mental health and well-being of children and youth?

What is the Children’s Mental Health (CMH) Act?

What is the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership (ICMHP)?

What is the Children’s Mental Health Plan?

What is covered in the Children’s Mental Health Plan?

What are the key goals of the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership?

How is the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership funded?

Are parents and families involved in the work of the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership and implementation of the Children’s Mental Health Plan?

How is the work of the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership helping to improve the children’s mental health system in Illinois?

What are the next steps of the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership?

Why is Illinois focusing on the mental health and well-being of children and youth?

Research indicates that children’s healthy social and emotional development is as important to their health, well-being and academic success as physical health. Yet, little attention is placed on children’s mental health until problems become severe. Nationally, over 20 percent of children have a diagnosable mental health problem, and only one in five of these children are receiving services. Mental health programs and services for children in Illinois - like that of most states - are highly fragmented, under-resourced and limited in scope. In addition, the current Illinois system places little emphasis on promoting children’s social and emotional well-being, and preventing mental health problems.

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What is the Children’s Mental Health Act?

The Children’s Mental Health (CMH) Act of 2003 was created to develop a comprehensive system of community and state programs, services and resources that promote the mental health and well-being of children ages birth to eighteen, intervene early to address potential mental health needs, and provide comprehensive mental health services for children who need them, including services and supports for youth ages 19-21 who are transitioning out of key public programs (e.g., child welfare, school, the mental health system). This groundbreaking Act represented the work of over 100 multi-disciplinary agencies, organizations and families committed to the well-being of Illinois children. The CMH Act created the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership (ICMHP) to develop and monitor implementation of a statewide Children’s Mental Health Plan. Illinois continues to be recognized as a national leader for the passage of the CMH Act, the work of ICMHP, and for the progress we are making in developing a comprehensive mental health system in the state.

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What is the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership?

The ICMHP as a whole is comprised of appointed members, a management team, staff, and volunteer committee and work group members who work to advance the key priorities identified in the Strategic Plan for Children's Mental Health.The 25 members appointed by the Governor represent families, child advocates, education, early childhood, health, mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, substance abuse, violence prevention, and others. State legislators - two members of each caucus of the House of Representatives and Senate - and representatives from key state agencies and departments (e.g., child welfare, public health, mental health, education, and corrections) are also included in the appointed members.The management team consists of three people who oversee the budget and all of the projects undertaken by the partnership.There are six staff members who offer support to the four Partnership committees and three work groups, consisting of over 300 members, from all over Illinois and across all child serving systems, who offer invaluable input and carry out the work of the partnership. Partnership efforts are guided by the Strategic Plan, which serves as a framework for advancing the children's mental health system in Illinois.

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What is the Children’s Mental Health Plan?

The Children’s Mental Health Act mandated that a Children’s Mental Health (CMH) Plan be developed, submitted to the Governor as a Preliminary Plan on September 30, 2004 and Final Plan by June 30, 2005 with progress reports submitted annually. Members of the ICMHP and its six standing committees at the time - over 200 individuals and groups - worked and deliberated for over one year to develop the recommendations and strategies included in the CMH Plan. Five public forums were held across the state to provide an opportunity for public comment to a draft of the Preliminary Plan. The Plan received overwhelming support from families, educators including special education teachers, health and mental health professionals, child care providers, and others concerned about the well-being of children. The Children’s Mental Health Plan is a set of recommendations that are subject to approval by the Governor and implementation by state and community-based agencies and other groups.

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What is covered in the Children’s Mental Health Plan?

The CMH Plan is a statewide strategic blueprint or "roadmap" to promote children’s social and emotional development and improve the children’s mental health system. The Plan covers a range of recommendations and strategies necessary to reforming the children’s mental health system in Illinois that include the following.

• Promoting children’s optimal social and emotional development.
• Identifying mental health needs and intervening early.
• Ensuring that mental health programs and services meet the needs of diverse communities.
• Working with and engaging families in all aspects of the system.
• Promoting multi-agency collaboration at the state and local level to maximize scarce resources, minimize duplication of services, and make it easy for families to access services.
• Increasing mental health programs and services, especially in underserved areas of the state.
• Building a culturally-competent, qualified and adequately trained workforce with a sufficient number of professionals to serve children and their families.

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What are the key goals of the ICMHP?

The CMH Plan outlines six Core Goals and ten Strategic Priorities necessary to reform the children’s mental health system in Illinois. The six Core Goals are as follows:

• Goal I: Develop and strengthen prevention, early intervention, and treatment policies, programs, and services for children.
• Goal II: Increase public education and awareness of the mental health needs of children.
• Goal III: Maximize current investments and invest sufficient fiscal resources over time.
• Goal IV: Build a qualified and adequately trained workforce with a sufficient number of professionals to serve children and their families throughout Illinois.
• Goal V: Create a quality-driven children’s mental health system with shared accountability among key state agencies and programs.
• Goal VI: Invest in research.

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How is the ICMHP funded?

The work of the ICMHP and its member agencies and organizations is supported through public (state and federal) and private investments. The ICMHP successfully advocated for over $20 million in appropriations to support key Strategic Plan priorities. Additionally, ICMHP secured over $250,000 in private and public funds and in-kind funds and services from Illinois state agencies, corporations and foundations (Illinois Violence Prevention Authority, Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation, Michael Reese Health Trust, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois) to support ICMHP and implementation of selected Strategic Plan priorities.

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Are parents and families involved in the work of the ICMHP and implementation of the CMH Plan?

Yes. Parents/families are full members of the ICMHP. In addition, the ICMHP created a Family Advocacy, Communication and Education Committee to ensure substantial input and engagement by families to the development and implementation of the CMH Plan. Families fill a number of important roles on the ICMHP including: serving as members on the ICMHP and on ICMHP Committees, providing guidance and input to the Plan development and implementation, ensuring that the Plan is grounded in the interests and needs of families, and educating the ICMHP about ways to help ensure that the children’s mental health system truly meets the needs of families. Towards that goal, ICMHP has incepted the role of Statewide Family Leadership and Support Coordinator, who works with coalitions, agencies and programs across Illinois to advance support and roles for family leaders.

Under the direction of the Statewide Family Leadership Coordinator, and in collaboration with the FACE Committee, ICMHP has implemented a Family Leadership and Support Project in four regions across the state to build the infrastructure necessary to assure coordination of current family support activities, increase awareness of available services and supports, and provide greater opportunities for family leadership.

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How is the work of the ICMHP helping to improve the children’s mental health system in Illinois?

Since the passage of the CMH Act, and in accordance with the ICMHP Strategic Plan, Illinois has served greater numbers of children at younger ages and earlier stages of need with more effective mental health programs and services, reduced fragmentation of services, enhanced interagency collaboration, and expended $56.6 million less over the last three years by serving children with community based mental health services instead of costly hospitalizations.

These changes mean that children like Tracy-a four year old from Rockford who was experiencing significant behavior problems that were unmanageable by both her parents and preschool teachers-can be referred in a timely manner and receive services at a community agency that is now better trained and equipped to address the mental health needs of young children and their families. Additionally, her parents are gaining new skills in areas including parenting, stress management, and discipline techniques. For more information about changes to the children’s mental health system in Illinois, see the ICMHP Annual Report to the Governor at http://www.icmhp.org/aboutus/annualreports.html

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What are the next steps of the ICMHP?

The ICMHP, its four standing committees, and three workgroups are advancing the recommendations contained in the CMH Plan. Overall areas for strategic focus include the following.

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