Our Vision

Our Vision

All children in California receive the support they need for healthy development and social and emotional well-being.

Why Our Children Need a Better Approach

We Need A Better Approach

Consider the Numbers

Only 5%
of children with Medi-Cal receive a behavioral health service
Only 35%
of youth in California who report needing mental health support actually receive it
43rd
is California’s ranking in providing behavioral, social and developmental screenings, which are key to identifying early signs of challenges
70%
of youth involved in California’s juvenile justice system have unmet behavioral health needs and youth of color are over-represented

The Crisis is Real

104%
increase in inpatient visits for suicide, suicidal ideation and self injury for ages 1-17
50%
increase in mental health hospital days for children
61%
increase in the rate of self-reported mental health needs

Reimagining Behavioral Health for California's Children and Their Families

A Once-In-A-Generation Reform Opportunity

California has a generational opportunity to reform our state’s troubled Medicaid program. In October 2019 the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) presented a reform agenda through the CalAIM proposal. We released our analysis of the proposal in November 2019.

An astonishing amount of progress has been made in a short period of time, but current events jeopardize that momentum. COVID-19 and demands for racial injustice underscore the urgent need to advance CalAIM’s children’s behavioral health reform effort. This brief and the accompanying presentation from CMHACY 2020 outline the path forward.

CalAIM Brief
Accompanying presentation from CMHACY 2020

See our response letters to DHCS on key CalAIM recommendations.

Better Approach 2

Changing our systems to improve child well-being is our collective responsibility

The Children’s Trust seeks to reimagine the way California supports children’s healthy development and social and emotional well-being. It’s not about providing more of the same. It’s about transforming services across systems, and scaling them to meet the needs of our communities. Our briefs give you the facts and propose a path for change.

Reimagining Child Well Being
Financing New Approaches to Achieve Child Well Being
Whole-Family Wellness for Early Childhood: A New Model for Medi-Cal Delivery and Financing

Our Key Principles

Our Framework for Solutions

The Trust’s Framework for Solutions simplifies the immense complexity of reinventing California’s approach to children’s healthy development, by focusing on three core strategies: 1) maximize funding; 2) expand access and participation; and 3) reinvent systems.

These three strategies are centered on Equity + Justice, recognizing that if we don’t address root causes, including structural and systemic racism, we cannot achieve, sustain nor scale our vision of health equity and healthy development for California’s children, youth, and families.

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