Promoting Cooperation Between Early Intervention and Child Welfare

This workshop discussed the serious developmental consequence of abuse and neglect on infants and toddlers. This age group represents 31% of children in foster care, which is an average of 210 babies entering foster care each day. Babies learn within the context of relationships with their primary caregiver. When this relationship is fraught with trauma the baby's learning is directly impacted. Studies have shown that trauma changes the physical architecture of the brain. 50 % of children in foster care are developmentally delayed compared to less than 5% of their peers who are not in foster care. The early intervention team and the child welfare case manager need to better partner on behalf of the child. This partnership can help the child welfare better understand the child's developmental needs and help early intervention understand the child's trauma history. A case study and leadership project were discussed as examples of how the systems can work effectively together. Each participant was asked to leave with a plan of action considering what they can do impact the life of a vulnerable child.