Early Childhood and Family Mental Health Competencies

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Download the entire ECFMH Competencies document here

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1. Overview and Use of the Early Childhood Family Mental Health Core Competencies
2. Competencies by Domain (PDF)
3. Competencies by Level (PDF)

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*Permission is granted to copy and share these documents with others as long as you include the following acknowledgement: "Developed by the Vermont Early Childhood and Family Mental Health Competencies Practice Group with support from the federal IDEA Technical Assistance Partnership through Shared Agenda, Community of Practice, and other 'Seed' Grants.

Use these Competencies in practice

1. NEW! ECFMH Self-Assessment/Action Planning Tool
2. NEW! ECFMH Competencies Curriculum Matrix Tool

Curricula that incorporate the Early Childhood Family Mental Health (ECFMH) Competencies

There are a number of research-based, standard curricula that are currently used in Vermont for professional development, which also support practitioners to learn and demonstrate the ECFMH Competencies at various levels (Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced, and Specialist) and across the domains (Philosophy and Professional Orientation, Family Systems, Child Development, Assessment, Addressing Challenges, and Systems Resources). The following curricula are aligned.

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• Second Step Violence Prevention Curriculum
• Foster Care Training: Session I, II, III, IV, V
• Touch Points
• Zero to Three: Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect (PCAN)
• Southern New Hampshire University course: PCMH 689
• UVM- Higher Education Collaborative BEST graduate concentration
• Center for the Social Emotional Foundations of Early Learning: Modules 1,2,3a,3b

Why these competencies?

These professional competencies are intended to guide the preparation and ongoing professional development of service providers in various fields who have a role in supporting families with young children. The skills and knowledge necessary for promoting the social and emotional development of children and for recognizing and addressing mental health issues are not the purview of any one discipline. For instance, educators, therapists, childcare providers, pediatricians, home health care providers, early interventionists, social workers, and child welfare workers all need to be cognizant of these competencies and demonstrate the level of knowledge and skills commensurate with their roles.

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We believe that if these competencies are used throughout the service delivery system, children and their families will not have to reach a point of near-crisis to receive the social and emotional support and services they need to effectively cope in our communities. It is our sincere hope that by embedding these competencies within various and multiple personnel preparation programs and ongoing in-service opportunities, children and families will have their needs for early childhood and family mental health recognized and addressed wherever they go by thoroughly trained and informed caregivers.