Child Outcomes Accountability Team Meeting

The charge of the Child Outcomes Accountability Team is to improve integration and coordination of early childhood public and private partners committed to the health and well-being of children and their families. The group will inform strategies and monitor progress toward Goal 1 of Vermont’s Early Childhood Action Plan: All children have a healthy start.

At May’s meeting, we will focus on substance use and support for families before and after birth. The full year after pregnancy has been identified as a period of increased risk of death for perinatal people with substance use disorder by the Vermont Maternal Mortality Review Panel.  Vermont has among the highest rates of alcohol, cannabis, tobacco and opioid use in pregnancy in the US.  Parental substance use is also a leading cause of involvement with the Family Services Division.  To address this public health crisis and connect pregnant people with substance use disorder to community based supports there have been significant changes to a CAPTA required care planning document called the Family Care Plan (formally known as the Plan of Safe Care).

The Family and Child Health Division, Perinatal Quality Collaborative and the Alliance for Innovations in Maternal Health teams are updating this document to create an easy to use, parent directed and more supportive care planning process. Join us to learn more.