An Overview of the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative
The Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) is an interagency initiative of the Commonwealth’s
Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) whose mission is to strengthen, expand and
integrate Massachusetts state services into a comprehensive, community-based system of care, to ensure that
families and their children with significant behavioral, emotional and mental health needs obtain the services
necessary for success in home, school and community. JudyAnn Bigby, M.D., Secretary of the Executive Office
of Health and Human Services, developed the interagency Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative to provide a
broader implementation framework for the remedy in the “Rosie D.” class action lawsuit, to go beyond the
requirements of the court order and to undertake a larger interagency effort to develop, over time, an
integrated system of state-funded behavioral health services for children, youth and their families.
In December, 2007, the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative implemented standardized behavioral-health
screening as a part of EPSDT “well-child” visits for children and youth on MassHealth, from birth to through
age twenty.
In November, 2008, CBHI implemented standardized behavioral-health assessments including the use of the
Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool, for all children and youth on MassHealth using
behavioral health services. The CANS has also been adopted by the Massachusetts Departments of Mental
Health, Children and Families, and Youth Services. In order to prepare providers to use the CANS,
Massachusetts, through its contractor, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, continues to
provide training and certification in the CANS. The Commonwealth is also implementing a CANS IT
application, which will allow clinicians to enter client CANS data into a secure EOHHS website, subject to
necessary client consent. This system will provide data needed for court reporting and for planning and
quality monitoring and improvement work. On Dec 20th 2008 EOHHS released the first part of the
application, the online serious emotional disturbance (SED) determination, to gradually familiarize users
with the tool. The full functionality of the application became available on April 23, 2009.
During 2009, Massachusetts will implement seven new and/or improved community-based services and
supports to MassHealth-eligible children and youth under age 21, pending federal approval from the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). The services are: Intensive Care Coordination, In-Home Therapy, In-Home
Behavioral Services, Mobile Crisis Intervention, Crisis Stabilization, Caregiver Peer-to Peer Support and
Therapeutic Mentoring. The first service, Intensive Care Coordination will provide Targeted Case
Management using the Wraparound model of care planning as defined by the National Wraparound Initiative
(http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/nwi/index.php).
Brief summaries of each of the new services and their start dates follow:
Intensive Care Coordination (ICC)--June 30, 2009
 Wraparound Care Planning Process
 Team develops and implements a child-centered and family-centered Individual Care Plan
 Care Plan is based on strengths and needs of child and family
Family Support and Training (Family Partner)--June 30, 2009
 Structured one-to-one relationship with parent or caregiver
 Improve capacity of caregiver to parent the child w/ serious emotional disturbance
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
May include education, coaching, support and training
In home and community settings
Mobile Crisis Intervention--June 30, 2009
 Short-term, mobile, on-site, face-to-face intervention
 Therapeutic response to a child’s mental health crisis by trained crisis professionals
 In community settings (including the child’s home), 24/7
 Built on re-procured Emergency Service Program (ESP) system
In-Home Behavioral Services--October 1, 2009
 Behavior Management Therapy
 Behavior Management Monitoring
 In any setting where the child is naturally located, including home, school, childcare centers,
respite
Therapeutic Mentoring Services--October 1, 2009
 Structured one-on-one mentoring relationship between therapeutic mentor and child or
adolescent
 Addresses daily living, social & communication needs
 Set goals to support social functioning
 In home, school or social settings
In-Home Therapy Services--November 1, 2009
 Therapeutic clinical intervention: structured, consistent, therapeutic relationship between
licensed clinician and child & family
 Treats child’s mental health needs & promotes healthy functioning of child in family
 Ongoing Therapeutic Training and Support: Trained paraprofessional supports
implementation of therapeutic objectives
Crisis Stabilization--December 1, 2009
 Short-term crisis stabilization bed to prevent or ameliorate a crisis
 Evaluate and treat child, and teach, support & assist parent or caretaker
 Link child to other appropriate services
For more information, visit the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative website at
www.mass.gov/masshealth/childbehavioralhealth.