SB 972 Summary

• Commissioner of Children and Families shall develop a comprehensive implementation plan by October 1, 2014, to address mental, emotional and behavioral health needs of all children, including prevention, early intervention, school-community integration, and culturally-sensitive services with status reports due April 15, 2014 and biennially thereafter through 2019.

• Birth-to-three program shall provide mental health services to eligible early intervention children and refer ineligible children to licensed mental health providers for evaluation and treatment.

• Office of Early Childhood shall provide professional development training to pediatricians and child care providers on identifying mental health issues, coordinate home visitation programs for vulnerable families, and design a public information campaign on children's mental health by October 1, 2014.

• Establishes a Children's Mental Health Task Force with representatives from the legislature, medical professionals, educators and pharmacologists to study the effects of nutrition, genetics, complementary treatments and psychotropic drugs on child mental health, with findings due by September 30, 2014.

• Emergency mobile psychiatric services, law enforcement and school resource officers must collaborate with community health agencies and receive training in best practices to prevent children with mental health issues from entering the juvenile justice system.