Knowing When to Make a Referral

Knowing When to Make a Referral

Supporting the development and learning of young children and their families often requires taking into consideration rapidly changing needs, as well as carefully considering the ongoing impact of environment, culture, and community.

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As a child development professional, you may grapple with when to refer a young child and his or her family to infant mental health services. For this Application Assignment, you will develop a checklist and information sheet highlighting factors that need to be considered when determining whether to make a referral to infant mental health services. To prepare for this assignment, review pages 18-22 of Building Strong

Foundations: Practical Guidance for Promoting the Social-Emotional Development of Infants and Toddlers, starting with the section “When to Consider Referring a Child for Infant Mental Health Services.” Also draw on resources you have read previously in the course when developing your checklist.

Develop a checklist that includes the following:

1. Factors that need to be considered prior to making a referral with regard to each of the following categories:

a. Child factors

b. Environmental factors

c. Family factors

2. An overview of processes you would use to gather information prior to making a referral.

Then, create an information sheet that includes general guidelines with regard to the following:

1. Any special considerations (such as culture, ability, linguistics) that should be taken into account when determining if a referral should be made.

2. Strategies that can be utilized to support the family through the referral process.