Domain 8 of 8
Systems-Wide Orientation
Key points
- Works within and across the multiple systems where infants and young children spend time, integrating mental health in ways that respect culture.
- Bridges services to reduce barriers and connect families, professionals, and agencies.
- Promotes social and emotional well-being system-wide, and names inequities across systems and the role of history and policy in changing them.
Works within and across systems, integrating mental health concepts and supports into environments where infants and young children spend time in ways that respect their cultures.
Maintains awareness of inequities within the systems in which IECMHC occurs, and considers these contexts when seeking to understand factors that promote or hinder the process of change.
For a more in-depth discussion of systems, please see the Systems section of the website.
8A Evaluates the Complexity of Working Within Multiple Systems
Core Skills
- 8A.1
- Demonstrates the ability to articulate basic concepts of systems theory, and understands how they inform the process of IECMHC.
- 8A.2
- Demonstrates the ability to work concurrently within two or more systems, and understands that changes in response to IECMHC may influence multiple systems.
- 8A.3
- Works within and across systems, integrating mental health concepts and supports into the environments where infants and young children spend time in ways that respect their cultures.
- 8A.4
- Considers the historical and cultural contexts of communities and their members, and recognizes cultural influences on values, perspectives, and actions.
- 8A.5
- Demonstrates awareness of and sensitivity toward attitudes and strengths of community members (e.g., community leaders, agencies, service providers).
- 8A.6
- Understands systemic racism, how it manifests within and across systems, and how it affects infants, young children, and families. Understands how infants’, young children’s, and families’ intersecting identities and interactions across systems can compound disadvantage.
8B Bridges Services to Promote Cohesion for Infants, Young Children, and Families
Core Skills
- 8B.1
- Gains entry into and engages effectively with programs and other settings serving infants, young children, and families where consultation services are delivered.
- 8B.2
- Maintains up-to-date information about community resources. Limits unnecessary barriers that prevent families from accessing services by making effective referrals.
- 8B.3
- Establishes relationships with professionals in other early childhood and mental health disciplines, including those providing counseling and treatment services.
- 8B.4
- Encourages networking between ECE/HV settings and programs and other settings within a community serving infants, young children, and families.
- 8B.5
- Uses and shares current information about standards (i.e., professional, program, and licensing standards), resources, and systems serving infants, young children, and families.
8C Promotes Mental Health and Social and Emotional Well-Being
Core Skills
- 8C.1
- Promotes healthy social and emotional development through the creation and/or distribution of culturally and linguistically responsive informational materials and resources that can be disseminated to a range of audiences.
- 8C.2
- Maintains visibility as a resource for promoting healthy social and emotional development and mental wellness.
8D Understands Inequities Across Systems and How to Dismantle Them Through Policy
Core Skills
- 8D.1
- Understands historical and current inequitable distribution of opportunities and resources across systems and how such inequities affect families.
- 8D.2
- Understands the role of history and policy in systemic and institutionalized racism and how to advocate for systemic change to create more equitable systems serving infants, young children, and families.
Source: Competency text is reproduced from Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: Competencies, Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (2020 edition).
