Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Services

This service is provided at no cost to you through the Illinois Department of Human Services, in collaboration with Caregiver Connections and the statewide consultation program and Illinois Action for Children, which is available throughout Chicago and Cook County.

No. However, according to Illinois statues, child care providers and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants are mandated reporters and must report suspected child abuse and neglect to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) hotline.

Yes. A parent or guardian must sign a consent form before we can observe a child individually. We also conduct general observations of children and classrooms which does not require parental consent.

The only time we share information with a school district is when a parent or guardian has signed a ‘release of information’ form from the school district and requests us to do so.

No. If an evaluation or assessment is needed, we help families locate the appropriate services.

No. We help families locate counseling, mental health services or resources when these services are required.

We provide consultation with parents/guardians and caregivers about their child, particularly when we have been asked to do an individual observation of that child. However, we do not provide parent education workshops or groups at this time.

Yes.

Yes. We work with providers to protect their confidentiality and the confidentiality of the children and families.