Updates from the State Public Health Autism Resource Center - December 2017
December 18, 2017
AMCHP's State Public Health Autism Resource Center (SPHARC) has released several new resources and technical assistance opportunities designed to aid and assist Autism and other Developmental Disabilities (ASD/DD) grantees.
On the Horizon for State Grantees
As mentioned in the previous Developments issue, SPHARC, in partnership with HRSA, is continuing to support the new Autism Community of Learners state grantee cohort as they continue work in Year 2 of the grant cycle. Grantees include:
- Delaware
- Rhode Island
- Washington
- Wisconsin
This cohort has continued participating in monthly technical assistance calls, and through these calls, there has been a lot of discussion around grantee needs for more support and guidance around the Family Navigation piece of their work. The 2017 Peer-to-Peer Exchange was held in June and focused on Family Navigation and featured the Rhode Island state team (Rhode Island's (RI) The Autism Project (TAP)), due to their vast experience in Family Navigation and coordination of services. During this meeting, participants learned how the RI team has collaborated with different partners, addressed challenges around funding and sustainability, and established buy-in to effectively integrate Family Navigators in the community.
In addition, the RI team provided an overview of a new tool they developed for Family Navigators to help the navigators determine their role with families, based on the stage the family is at when they are connected. The team facilitated an interactive discussion with the tool and shared recommendations/best practices for Family Navigators based on the various stages of the families they work with. RI also organized two panels: a family navigator and family leader panel to discuss their experiences with and in the system of care. The day and a half exchange ultimately allowed participating states to engage with the RI team and each other, share ideas and challenges, and develop action plans related to Family Navigation while receiving real-time feedback and resources to help address a need and/or improve a program. For resources and/or reflections from the meeting, visit the Peer to Peer Exchange 2017 webpage on the AMCHP site. AMCHP is currently developing follow-up resources on Family Navigation, developed with input from current and former state grantees.
AMCHP's State Public Health Autism Resource Center (SPHARC) has released several new resources designed to aid and assist Autism and other Developmental Disabilities (ASD/DD) grantees.
Early Childhood Developmental Screening and Title V:
Building Better Systems
The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP), in partnership with the National Institute for Children's Health Quality, is pleased to announce a new issue brief called "Early Childhood Developmental Screening and Title V: Building Better Systems"! This issue brief delves into Title V program developmental screening activities that aim to establish or improve comprehensive systems of care for children and families. This issue brief had two purposes:
- To inform staff, public health professionals, partners, and stakeholders of different developmental screening-related strategies that could be applied in communities, and
- To provide connections to Title V programs highlighted for their work specific to developmental screening activities.
Title V Data Integration Toolkit! Your Guide to Integrating Early Childhood Data
Throughout the nation, states are increasing their capacity to integrate early childhood data across systems to improve services and outcomes for children and families. In response to this trend, the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP), in collaboration with AEM Corporation, convened a workgroup of Title V leaders to contribute to and inform the development of the Title V Data Integration toolkit.
The Title V Data Integration toolkit is a collection of resources that aims to assist states as they integrate Title V data into Early Childhood Integrated Data Systems (ECIDS). The toolkit consists of three types of resources:
- Title V Data Integration Tip Sheets: one-pagers that offer tips, key considerations, and resources around the identified topic area;
- Title V Data Integration Use Cases: Visual examples of how to present information around a key question or priority to an ECIDS in order to receive appropriate data that can inform decision-making; and
- State Examples: Examples of states that have integrated or are effectively sharing public health data leading to valuable insight into the experiences of children and their families.
For more information about SPHARC, visit www.amchp.org/SPHARC.