Access to Care

Promoting access to mental health and behavioral health services for children and youth most at risk.

Accessing Services

The Collaboration Council partners with agencies that deliver youth and family-driven culturally competent services and support for youth with behavioral health challenges to promote success in school, strengthen bonds in the family, and develop ways of coping and overcoming emotional and behavioral problems.

Pathways to Services helps children and their families connect with community-based services and support in Montgomery County. Pathways works with families with Medical Assistance, private insurance, or no insurance.

Local Care Team (LCT): The LCT is the next stop in the system of care for many families. Along with consistent family-voice representation, this interagency team of public, child-serving agencies determines how to best use local resources to support children and families. The LCT is the pathway to community-based services. It also reviews cases of children and youth who are eligible to be placed in high-cost residential programs, either in Maryland or out-of-state.

Healthy Families Montgomery (HFM)

HFM is a voluntary home visiting service for first-time parents in Montgomery County. Participants are screened for multiple stressors such as mental health/substance use concerns, limited self-sufficiency, and the experience of abuse or neglect as a child. Home visits begin with a weekly schedule for a minimum of six months postpartum and are modified as the family gains confidence and meet their goals. Families receive services for three years, and emphasis is placed on health care, child development, parenting education and support, and family self-sufficiency.

HFM by the Numbers – FY25:

• 2,020 home visits were provided to 97 families
• 100% of 26 of mothers who delivered a child in FY25 completed postpartum care
• 100% of children over 2 months old had a primary health care provider
• 100% of children up to the age of 2 completed immunizations
• 100% of parents demonstrated adequate knowledge of safety as measured on the most recent Home Safety Checklist tool
• All children in the program were regularly screened for early identification of learning challenges (at 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 18, 20 and 24 months and then every six months after age two)
• 18 children were referred to receive early intervention services from the Montgomery County Infants and Toddlers Program