Project Description:
The purpose of the NC-LEND is to prepare graduate, post-graduate, and postdoctoral trainees for leadership roles in the broad domain of serving children with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities and their families via a multidimensional interdisciplinary curriculum, and to facilitate systems change for these children and their families. In this regard, the NC-LEND program funds and trains individuals representing all core MCHB disciplines. The training program addresses 11 key leadership dimensions that will be facilitated via didactic, clinical, community, and a wide array of technical assistance initiatives ongoing at the CIDD. All of these leadership activities will provide training in neurodevelopmental disorders; interdisciplinary language; a family-focused needs perspective; cultural knowledge, competency and sensitivity; underserved populations- including rural, dual diagnosis, poor children/ families; larger public health issues and initiatives; enabling and infrastructure building; and the importance of systems change for providing a high quality of health care for all children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families.
The need for advanced interdisciplinary training programs of the type exemplified by the NC-LEND arises from the multiplicity of interrelated problems that face persons with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities, and their families. It is unlikely that any single professional discipline will be adequate to manage the spectrum of needs presented by these persons and their families, especially considering the constant interplay that occurs between persons who have neurodevelopmental disabilities and the social, environmental, and service milieu of which they are a part. An interdisciplinary model should serve to lessen the fractionalization of consumers, their families, and their needs, and ultimately improve quality and access to services. Training in settings where health care and related disciplines can be blended together in a common effort lays the foundation for more comprehensive and cost effective professional practice, and clearly will contribute to lessening the morbidity of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders in the state/ country.
Goals and objectives were developed based on past history and accomplishments, current MCHB leadership initiatives, Healthy People 2010 goals, and projected state needs as per the MCH Block Grant application. We propose the following goals: (Goal 1) Provide exemplary interdisciplinary leadership training to health care and related professionals which focuses on prevention, early detection, assessment and management, and health promotion for populations with mental retardation and other neurodevelopmental and related disabilities; (Goal 2) Provide center-, hospital-, and community-based interdisciplinary systems of care experiences, which are family based and culturally appropriate, for populations with or at risk for neurodevelopmental and related disabilities, as a basis for modeling exemplary practices; (Goal 3) With the NC Division of Maternal and Child Health, train future leaders in health care delivery to children and adolescents with, and at risk for, neurodevelopmental and related disabilities in public school settings with significant underserved populations; (Goal 4) Provide community-based continuing education, consultation and technical assistance that fosters achievement of family-centered, coordinated care and improves advocacy skills for populations with mental retardation and related neurodevelopmental disorders; (Goal 5) Collaborate with local, state, and national programs and agencies that provide health care and social/ environmental services to mothers and children to enhance CIDD training opportunities and to promote improved state and local services for mothers and children; (Goal 6) Infuse knowledge of the MCH leadership mission into the curricula of all disciplines represented at the CIDD by maintaining active, collaborative relationships with University programs that support disciplines represented within the CIDD; (Goal 7) Provide interdisciplinary leadership training in the development, administration and evaluation of programs serving populations with or at risk for neurodevelopmental and related disabilities; (Goal 8) Provide leadership experiences related to the assessment, management and prevention of neurodevelopmental and related disabilities, dissemination, and application of research findings into community programs; (Goal 9) Provide interdisciplinary training in the area of public policy and advocacy at the local, state, and national levels relating to populations with or at risk for neurodevelopmental and related disabilities and (Goal 10) Provide an effective, ongoing system of accountability in all training, service and research programs to ensure appropriate evaluation of all program objectives. This system will be developed in combination with MCHB LEND guidelines and modified accordingly.
To accomplish these goals, we have evolved an interdisciplinary training curriculum that consists of several key components: (1)didactic, (2) clinical/ community, and (3) technical assistance, policy, and research. Each trainee completes an Individual Interdisciplinary Training Activity Plan (IITAP) with his or her mentor to document training goals and related documentation. For the clinical/ community we have developed a variety of interdisciplinary experiences within the center and hospital as well as in the community. For the technical assistance domain, we routinely plan/ engage ongoing activities for the trainees and faculty in the areas of research, training, community outreach and technical assistance, and systems change in conjunction with MCH mandates.
The NC-LEND Training Program activities are closely coordinated with a variety of medical school and university departments, as well as key state-based organizations and agencies. Our relationships with state-based organizations have been well established, with training partnerships with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and training/ technical assistance connections to nearly every major division in the North Carolina State Department of Health and Human Services. In particular, our relationship with our Title V agencies/ programs have remained strong.
The past funding year has seen the development of a campus-based "Steering Committee" which involves representatives from all five of the MCH training programs at the University of North Carolina. We have been meeting regularly to plan joint leadership training collaborations and related interdisciplinary activities for the students from all five programs, with a focus on developing core cultural competency training across all five programs. Our relationships with our Title V agencies/ programs have remained strong, and we now have a standing seat at the bi-weekly Child Branch Meetings for our state Title V Agency.
Area of Emphasis
Quality Assurance, Education & Early Intervention, Child Care-Related Activities, Health-Related Activities, Employment-Related Activities, Housing-Related Activities, Transportation-Related Activities, Recreation-Related Activities, Quality of Life, Other - Leadership
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Urban, Specific Groups, Other
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County, Mulit-County, State, Regional, National
