Project Description
Challenge
A gap exists in policy and practice within child welfare systems, where infants in care are at risk for developmental delays and mental health issues. A screening and intervention program for these children is aiming to change the standard of care for this at-risk population.
Project Summary
The screening program targeted infants aged 0 to 5 years in the care of the child welfare system. The use of the screening tool provided practitioners and caregivers with a way to get detailed information about how the child is managing and where they are at risk for delays. An important aspect is that this isn’t a diagnostic tool, which means it doesn’t require a primary care doctor to administer it. It’s also cost-effective, and it’s easily accessible even in remote regions.
The tool has 2 questionnaires. In this project, both screening tools are used to assesses all children five and under who are in foster care with and without unknown prenatal alcohol exposure. The first tool assesses communication, problem-solving, personal and social skills, fine and gross motor skills, as well as behavioural areas of social and emotional development. The second tool looks more closely at social and emotional development. The results of the screen, combined with observation of the child and conversation with the primary caregiver, are then used to inform the creation of a developmental support plan. They then share this plan with every caregiver involved in the child’s life to support the child’s development through daily routines.
Result
To date, 200 workers at the Calgary Region Child and Family Services and 80 staff at the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto have been trained on using the screening tool, as well as 20 foster parents. The idea is to be proactive. Rather than wait for a child to receive a diagnosis, the tool allows for the identification of a child’s current developmental status, which one can use to set manageable and tangible next steps. The team is now studying the effectiveness of the screening tool and developmental support plan through a randomized clinical study in partnership with the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto.
Funding
This subproject was part of the larger “FASD: Early Life Adversity, Outcomes and Secondary Intervention and Prevention.” The FASD program was funded a total of $1,205,381 from the Kids Brain Health Network and $2,148,667 from participating partners.
Team
Dr. Chaya Kulkarni, Hospital for Sick Children
Partners
Calgary Region Child and Family Services
Children’s Aid Society of Toronto
Infant Mental Health Promotion
