Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative
Behavioral Health Virtual Services Platforms
In January 2024, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), in partnership with Kooth and Brightline, is launching two behavioral health virtual services platforms for children, youth, and families. Launching as a part of the state’s CalHOPE program, with funding from the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, a $4.6 billion investment in youth behavioral health, the web- and app-based platforms will offer all California residents, regardless of insurance coverage, free one on one support with a live coach, a library of multimedia resources, wellness exercises, and peer communities moderated by trained behavioral health professionals to ensure the appropriateness of content and the safety of all users. These new CalHOPE platforms will complement existing services offered by health plans, counties and schools by providing additional care options and resources for parents and caregivers, children, youth and young adults in California.
Please see the BHVS Platform webpage.
Evidence-Based Practices and Community Defined Evidence Practices Grants
In line with its legislative mandate (see W&I Code section 5961.5), DHCS will distribute $429 million in grants to organizations seeking to scale evidence-based and/or community-defined evidence practices (EBPs/CDEPs) that improve youth behavioral health (BH) based on robust evidence for effectiveness, impact on racial equity, and sustainability. By scaling EBPs and CDEPs throughout the state, DHCS aims to improve access to critical behavioral health interventions, including those focused on prevention, early intervention, and resiliency/recovery for children and youth, with a specific focus on children and youth who are from either or both of the following groups: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and the LGBTQIA+ community.
Please see the EBP/CDEP Grants webpage.
School-Linked Services
Below are the CYBHI workstreams offering school-linked services:
Background
Established as part of the Budget Act of 2021, the CYBHI is a multiyear, multi-department package of investments that seeks to reimagine the systems, regardless of payer, that support behavioral health for all California's children, youth, and their families. Efforts will focus on promoting social and emotional well-being, preventing behavioral health challenges, and providing equitable, appropriate, timely, and accessible services for emerging and existing behavioral health (mental health and substance use) needs for children and youth ages 0-25. CYBHI is grounded in focusing on equity; centering efforts around children and youth voices, strengths, needs, priorities, and experiences; driving transformative systems change; and using ongoing learning as the basis for change and improvement in outcomes for children and youth.
The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative includes multiple work streams that are led by five departments and offices within the California Health and Human Services Agency—DHCS, Department of Health Care Access and Information, Department of Managed Health Care, California Department of Public Health, and the Office of the Surgeon General. Under the California Health and Human Services Agency's leadership, the five departments have been working closely together to align priorities, define outcomes for the initiative, identify opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration, as well initiative interdependencies; and, obtain stakeholder input.
The DHCS is responsible for key work streams under this initiative, including but not limited to:
- Development a Behavioral Health Virtual Services & E-consult Platform;
- Development of a Statewide Multi-Payer School-linked Fee Schedule and Behavioral Health Provider Network;
- Issuance of Grants to Scale Evidence-Based Practices and Community-Defined Evidence Practices;
- Issuance of School-Linked Partnership and Capacity Grants;
- Implementation of Dyadic Services as a Medi-Cal Benefit;
- Development of Parent Support Video Series;
- Issuance of Youth Peer-to-Peer Support Programs;
- Development of CalHOPE Student Support;
- Issuance of Mindfulness, Resilience, and Wellbeing Supports;
- Development of Next Generation Digital Technologies; and,
- Development of a Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program.
To provide comments, make recommendations, or obtain additional information, please contact DHCS at
CYBHI@dhcs.ca.gov
CYBHI Timeline
The CYBHI follows a 5-year timeline, with the three distinct phases that were defined based on how types of activities and priorities are expected to evolve over time.
- Phase 1: major focus areas include defining specific goals that are linked to the overall CYBHI aspiration, standing up performance infrastructure, convening stakeholders, and preparing for detailed planning and future-state ecosystem design.
- Phase 2: develop detailed plans and design the future state
- Phase 3: deliver and accelerate impact launching a full-scale effort to drive, accelerate, and sustain impact.
FY 21/22
- Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program
- Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program
- CalHOPE Student Services
FY 22/23
-
Scaling Evidence-Based Practices and Community-Defined Evidence Practice Grants
-
School-Linked Partnerships & Capacity Grants
- Implementation of Dyadic Services Benefit
FY 23/24
- Behavioral Health Virtual Services and E-consult Platform
-
Statewide Fee Schedule & BH Provider Network
- Pediatric and Primary Care Training
Stakeholder Engagement
Throughout 2022, DHCS will conduct extensive stakeholder engagement around its CYBHI workstreams. Given the scale and complexity of this effort, stakeholder engagement is a significant focus for the first year of the initiative. DHCS' engagement strategy includes multiple goals—from keeping stakeholders informed about the initiative and gathering inputs on priorities at the current phase to jointly co-designing potential solutions and partnering to implement them going forward. Engagement models will vary by work stream and will evolve over time.
The stakeholder engagement activities will inform the Department's overall strategy for each of the workstreams, as such decisions—including design, scope, populations of focus—have not yet been made.
DHCS will establish workstream-specific processes to deepen engagement with relevant stakeholders across four distinct phases. Each engagement phase will build on and refine insights from prior phases to support the co-creation and development of a program that meets the needs of all California children and youth.
CYBHI Engagement Phases
DHCS will develop initial perspectives on program focus areas through forums to gather input and solicit perspectives from a broad set of stakeholders (e.g., listening tours, expert interviews).
DHCS will define and refine the potential program design for each workstream through interactive forums that include experts, implementing partners, and children, youth and families (e.g., immersive workshops, roundtables, and user-testing experiences).
As part of this phase, in April 2022, DHCS will convene two distinct “Think Tanks," focused on the BH Services Virtual eConsult / Services platform and Evidence-based interventions and community-defined promising practices grants. Please visit the
Meeting and Events page for more information about the CYBHI Behavioral Health Think Tanks.
For the both the school-linked partnerships and capacity grants and the school-linked BH network and statewide fee schedule, DHCS will, in collaboration with its state partners, conduct a series of listening tours and round table meetings with key partners in education, managed care and behavioral health. The purpose of these sessions will be to convene representatives from various regions and affinity groups to obtain input about how DHCS can best leverage existing resources/programs to maximize the available funding.
DHCS will share and get feedback on proposed program design with broader audiences, with an emphasis on continuing to hear from a wider set of stakeholders that represent the diversity of California residents (e.g., listening sessions, public updates, and webinars)
DHCS will test & scale as programs launch, to ensure robust feedback and continuous refinement. The format and nature of wide-scale testing will vary by workstream —e.g., the grant-based workstreams will have defined periods for public comment prior to actual grant releases; the virtual platform may involve beta-testing, and phased releases.
There will also be multiple opportunities for members of the public to provide input. Please check the CYBHI
Meetings and Events page for more information about opportunities to get involved.
Resources
