Maintains a systemic approach and aims for program-wide impact through a focus on multiple issues that affect the overall quality and equity of programs or settings serving infants, young children, and families.
Works to enhance programmatic functioning by assisting program administrators and/or staff in considering the program’s or setting’s overall social and emotional climate; solving issues that affect more than one infant or young child, staff member, and/or family; collecting and using disaggregated data to track program- wide disparities in both opportunity and the ways in which young children are disciplined, and supporting the development and implementation of policies that create more equitable experiences for infants, young children, and families.
Unless otherwise noted, the IECMH competencies refer to Infant Family Specialist and Early Childhood Family Specialist. If an “MHS” is noted, this competency is related to Infant Mental Health Specialist and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. “MHM” refers to Infant Mental Health Mentor and Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor.
7A.1. Initiates consultation services with an agreement outlining roles, scope of work, duration, and related issues.
Essential or important?: Essential
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Unique
Knowledge/Skill Area: Unique
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Unique
7A.2. Establishes a relationship with the program leadership in a manner that builds the program's capacity to embed equitable and inclusive practices that champion social and emotional wellness in program functioning; promote the relational health of infants, young children, families, and staff; and to foster infants' and young children’s healthy social and emotional development.
Essential or important?: Essential
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Administration (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Program management (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Promotes relationship-focused service and infant/young child and family-centered practice by identifying options and opportunities; Advocates for funds/programming for effective service delivery to families outside of the dominant culture
7A.3. Learns about a program’s organizational structure, including staff roles and responsibilities and lines of authority. Shares information about the role of the consultant, including its parameters and limitations. Uses established pathways to engage all members of the organization to ensure that all voices are heard and considered, particularly those that have been marginalized.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Unique
Knowledge/Skill Area: Unique
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Unique
7A.4. Becomes familiar with and works within a program’s mission and policies, especially those impacting staff development, family engagement, and positive behavioral supports and provides recommendations to build the program’s capacity to strengthen and embed equitable and inclusive practices to reduce potential disparities in disciplinary practices, access, and opportunity and improve infant and young child outcomes.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Administration (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Program development/management (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Promotes relationship-focused service and infant/young child and family-centered practice by identifying options and opportunities; Identifies opportunities and needs for program improvements, expanded services, and new services
7A.5. Develop an authentic understanding of the communities within which a program is located. This encompasses discovering and documenting the life of the community, including its history, power structures, and service structures.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Thinking
Knowledge/Skill Area: Analyzing information
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Sees and can explain the “big picture” when analyzing situations; Sees and can explain the interactions of various factors
7A.6. Pays particular attention to program policies that may disproportionately disadvantage certain groups of infants and young children due to race/ethnicity, primary language, culture, abilities, disposition and life circumstances.
Essential or important?: Essential
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Administration (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Program development (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Advocates for funds/programming for effective service delivery to families outside of the dominant culture
7A.7. Facilitates the discovery of gaps between policies and program practices that impact the provision of a healthy social and emotional climate and that are related to infant and young child outcomes.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Administration (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Program evaluation (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Establishes and monitors process and outcomes measures for continuous quality improvement; feeds information back to agencies; Identifies opportunities and and needs for program improvements, expanded servcies, and new services
7A.8. Identifies factors (including policies, practices, leadership style, and professional development) that influence a programs' social and emotional climate.
Essential or important?: Essential
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Administration (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Program development/management (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Promotes relationship-focused service and infant/young child and family-centered practice by identifying options and opportunities
7A.9. Evaluates the efficacy of program-level intervention strategies, and revises them as needed to ensure that they respect and respond to family cultures, values, and language.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Administration (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Program evaluation (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Establishes and monitors process and outcome measures for continuous quality improvement; feeds information back to agencies
7A.9. Evaluates the efficacy of program-level intervention strategies, and revises them as needed to ensure that they respect and respond to family cultures, values, and language.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Direct Service Skills
Knowledge/Skill Area: Advocacy (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Encourages use of data to improve practice
7A.10. Elicits and explores multiple perspectives in understanding concerns within a program, encourages the development of clear lines of communication between program staff, and represents the perspective of consultees to others across all levels of the institutional hierarchy. Fosters solutions that build collaborative relationships, include the cultural perspectives of program staff and families, and support common goals.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Working with Others
Knowledge/Skill Area: Collaborating
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Collaborates and shares information with staff of child care, foster care, community-based programs, and other service agencies to ensure effective, corrdinated services
7A.10. Elicits and explores multiple perspectives in understanding concerns within a program, encourages the development of clear lines of communication between program staff, and represents the perspective of consultees to others across all levels of the institutional hierarchy. Fosters solutions that build collaborative relationships, include the cultural perspectives of program staff and families, and support common goals.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Communicating
Knowledge/Skill Area: Listening
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Actively listens to others and asks questions for clarification
7A.11. Facilitates effective interventions to address relational difficulties that negatively impact a program's mental health climate. Understands interpersonal dynamics associated with issues with race/ethnicity, primary language, culture, abilities, disposition, and life circumstances, and how these issues, if left unaddressed, can manifest in conflicts, tensions, and misunderstandings. Understands the context of the community in which a center functions, including factors related to its history, culture, language, values, strengths, and resilience.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Thinking
Knowledge/Skill Area: Solving problems
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Generates new insights and workable solutions to issues related to effective relationship-focused, family-centered care
7A.11. Facilitates effective interventions to address relational difficulties that negatively impact a program's mental health climate. Understands interpersonal dynamics associated with issues with race/ethnicity, primary language, culture, abilities, disposition, and life circumstances, and how these issues, if left unaddressed, can manifest in conflicts, tensions, and misunderstandings. Understands the context of the community in which a center functions, including factors related to its history, culture, language, values, strengths, and resilience.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Thinking
Knowledge/Skill Area: Analyzing Information
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Sees and can explain the “big picture” when analyzing situations; Sees and can explain the interactions of various factors
7A.11. Facilitates effective interventions to address relational difficulties that negatively impact a program's mental health climate. Understands interpersonal dynamics associated with issues with race/ethnicity, primary language, culture, abilities, disposition, and life circumstances, and how these issues, if left unaddressed, can manifest in conflicts, tensions, and misunderstandings. Understands the context of the community in which a center functions, including factors related to its history, culture, language, values, strengths, and resilience.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Working with Others
Knowledge/Skill Area: Resolving Conflict
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Works constructively to find "win-win" solutions to conflicts with colleagues (e.g., interagency, peer-peer, and/or, supervisor-supervisee conflicts)
Unless otherwise noted, the IECMH competencies refer to Infant Family Specialist and Early Childhood Family Specialist. If an “MHS” is noted, this competency is related to Infant Mental Health Specialist and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. “MHM” refers to Infant Mental Health Mentor and Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor.
7B.1. Coordinates with and among external quality enhancement efforts and internal program resources (e.g.,instructional coaches, T/TA efforts, program leadership).
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Administration (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Program Evaluation (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Promotes research & evaluation for program improvements
7B.2. Shares information about resources and best practices in order to support programmatic decision making and effective implementation of program-wide approaches to healthy social and emotional development.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Administration (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Program Management (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Applies research findings to culturally sensitive, relationship-focused policies promoting infant and early childhood mental health
7B.3. Provides guidance related to resource selection and adaptation in a manner consistent with a specific program’s philosophy, needs, and culture.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Administration (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Program Development (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Partners with agencies, programs, legislative bodies, and/or service systems to develop new services and/or achieve improvements
Unless otherwise noted, the IECMH competencies refer to Infant Family Specialist and Early Childhood Family Specialist. If an “MHS” is noted, this competency is related to Infant Mental Health Specialist and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. “MHM” refers to Infant Mental Health Mentor and Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor.
7C.1. Facilitates group processes that support staff in working toward and maintaining a focus on established goals. Attends to and manages complex group dynamics.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Communicating
Knowledge/Skill Area: Group Process (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Effectively facilitates small groups (e.g., interdisciplinary or interagency teams)
7C.2. Promotes being sensitive to the feelings of others, communication, and/or activities that facilitate utually respectful relationships, interactions, and teamwork.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Working with Others
Knowledge/Skill Area: Building & Maintaining Relationships (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Builds and maintains effective interpersonal relationships with a broad range of people including families, colleagues, agency and community representatives, and/or legislators, as the individual role requires by: a) Being proactive in establishing connections, b) Sharing information, c) Partnering on projects, and d) Identifying and reaching out to families of cultures not being served or underserved
7C.3. Offers direction during times of ambiguity, maintaining a focus on both promoting infants' and young children’s healthy social and emotional development and cultural well-being, and supporting caregivers’ mental health needs.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Leading People (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Motivating (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Models personal commitment and empathy in promotion of all aspects of the practice of infant and early childhood mental health
Unless otherwise noted, the IECMH competencies refer to Infant Family Specialist and Early Childhood Family Specialist. If an “MHS” is noted, this competency is related to Infant Mental Health Specialist and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. “MHM” refers to Infant Mental Health Mentor and Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor.
7D.1. Facilitates or links programs or other settings to appropriate resources when developing and implementing plans to prepare for or respond to disasters or crises.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Systems Expertise
Knowledge/Skill Area: Service Delivery Systems (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Utilizes an expert knowledge of the formal service delivery systems and community resources to make decisions and recommendations
7D.2. Provides guidance related to the manner in which crisis drills are implemented. Considers developmentally appropriate explanations, procedures, advance preparation, and debriefing for staff, families, and infants and young children. Anticipates potential negative impacts of crises on individual and or groups of children and families, and proactively establishes plans to address needs and concerns before, during, and after the crisis.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Unique
Knowledge/Skill Area: Unique
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Unique
7D.3. Recognizes the nature and parameters of the consultant’s role during crises, and is familiar with available crisis services. Considers the importance of the timing of the consultant’s entry or reentry into a center recently impacted by crisis.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Unique
Knowledge/Skill Area: Unique
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Unique