Prove that consultation works
Here are the evidence syntheses, evaluation designs, and outcome measures you need to document impact and keep consultation funded.
What's in this collection
Research and evaluation are essential to continue expanding the reach and impact of infant and early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC). By gathering, analyzing, and reporting data, programs can learn about what they have been doing well, as well as what can be improved or made more efficient.
Advancing the evidence base for IECMHC: guidance for evaluators and program partners
Advancing the Evidence Base for IECMHC: This guide is intended to help programs design and implement an approach to evaluation that is intentional, realistic, and driven by their priorities.
Also check out the accompanying Interactive Evaluation Plan Worksheet.
Program evaluation tools
Program Planning and Reflection Tool (PPRT): An entire domain is devoted to program evaluation and covers: creating an evaluation team; identifying research questions; designing the evaluation; data collection & analysis; and communicating results.
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: An Evaluation Tool Kit: This tool kit provides guidance, tools, and resources that will assist in designing and implementing program evaluations.
Step-by-step program evaluation design guidance
Five Steps for Evaluating IECMHC: This comprehensive, step-by-step guidance helps programs design and build upon their IECMHC program evaluations.
Additional evaluation resources
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Most usedInteractive toolOutcome Measures for IECMHC (Choose and Use)This Choose and Use interactive search engine is designed to help you plan for capturing data on outcomes of IECMHC. GuideTheory of Change for IECMHCA theory of change shows how consultation leads to better outcomes for children, families, and staff. Use these guides and examples to build one for your program. ReportStatus of the Evidence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health ConsultationThis brief summarizes the status of the evidence for IECMHC, including both peer-reviewed journal articles and evaluation reports. Future directions for research are provided.Evidence Synthesis GuidePartner and field links Webinars and events2022 CoE Conference (Workshop Session): Colorado Model of ECMH Consultation Building Steps to EvidenceThis session uses adult learning principles to describe Colorado’s work on a high-quality statewide consultation model. The model aims to meet the needs of diverse children, families, and providers, and to be adopted by practitioners, delivered with fidelity, and evaluated. It will also include reference to the broad set of thought partners and intentional outreach including a national scan of what is working well, targeted core teams, workshops, focus groups and online surveys required to develop a high impact, efficacious and equitable model of consultation. As we move into 2022, we would like to share the progress we have made, the lessons learned, efforts to infuse equity, and our next steps in building evidence for the Colorado model in the hope it provides insight to other similarly positioned states and programs Webinars and events2022 CoE Conference (Workshop Session): Exploring the Impact of Racial Equity Support with AZ’s IECMHC WorkforceWe will present findings from a small evaluation conducted by Dr. Flora Farago in partnership with Indigo Cultural Center. The goal of this study was to explore the impact of a racial equity professional development training and support effort with the IECMHC program in Arizona, known as Smart Support. This racial equity training and support effort was led by Dr. Eva Marie Shivers, spanned 4 years, and included consultants, supervisors and senior leadership. The findings have implications for designing ongoing PD efforts focused on racial equity for consultants as well as supervisors. In addition, we will share results that compare the impact of a more consistent, deeper focus on racial equity versus annual all-staff exposure to racial equity. Panelists’ shared perspectives will include research/evaluation; reflective supervision; mental health consultation. Webinars and events2022 CoE Conference: P1 Poster Presentation Recording Toolkit5 Steps for Evaluating IECMHCThe Center of Excellence has developed step-by-step guidance to help programs design and build upon their IECMHC program evaluations. This diagram includes information and resources on: 1) developing a logic model and theory of change; 2) exploring the evidence base; 3) developing research questions; 4) selecting measurement tools; and 5) analyzing and communicating results. GuideA Roadmap for Collaborative and Effective Evaluation in Tribal CommunitiesInformation on community-based participatory research specific to evaluations in tribal communities. GuideAdvancing the Evidence Base for IECMHC: Guidance for Evaluators and Program PartnersThis guide illustrates the different purposes for which data may be gathered and analyzed in the context of IECMHC, organized by the goals of the program. It is intended to help programs design and implement an approach to evaluation that is intentional, realistic, and driven by their priorities. ReportAn Interdisciplinary Evaluation Report of Michigan’s Childcare Expulsion Prevention (CCEP) InitiativeMichigan State University evaluated Michigan's Childcare Expulsion Prevention program from 2007 to 2010. Parents saw their children improve more than a comparison group on hyperactivity, attention, and social skills, and reported less parenting stress. ReportAnnotated Bibliography: The Evidence Base for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC)Our Annotated Bibliography summarizes the contributions of every known published study of IECMHC, across settings and outcomes of interest. It builds general knowledge about IECMHC, supports writing about IECMHC, and points to future directions for research.