Prenatal through 25 Behavioral Health Strategic Plan

Strategic plan goals

• Develop longer term, system-wide strategies to ensure access to high-quality equitable care and supports in behavioral health education and promotion, prevention, intervention, recovery and ongoing well-being for families in the perinatal stage (pregnancy through the first year of life), children, young people transitioning to adulthood, and their caregivers.
• Engage with communities and stakeholders throughout the process – particularly youth and young adults, parents and caregivers, and communities who experience health inequities – to ensure they all see themselves in the final plan.
• Identify immediate opportunities to better support the health and well-being of children, youth, and young adults.

Principles

Design and build a system of services and supports that:

• In which there is no wrong door for people seeking services and supports.
• Provides help that looks and feels like help to the children, young people and families.
• Is informed by children, youth, and families that seek and use these services.
• That includes a robust and dialable system that covers the full continuum of care across all mental health and drug and alcohol-related conditions for the prenatal-25 age span.
• Is guided by outcome measures and levers that are nimble enough to inform new responses and approaches from the system as times change.
• Is oriented towards prevention and early intervention to reduce or avoid future mental health/substance use-related crises that require more intensive services.

P-25 Strategic plan advisory group

The strategic plan advisory group is made up of young people (ages 13-29), parents and caregivers, and system partners.

The advisory group:

• Brings all partners together to find common ground and develop collective discussions.

Advisory group meetings are open to the public and include opportunities for nonmembers to participate.

Advisory group subcommittees

Beginning in May, we will be holding separate month meetings for:

• Youth and young adults (13-29)
• Parents and caregivers of children, youth, and young adults
• System partners

At these 1-2 hour meetings we will be sharing strategic plan progress and plans and getting your feedback and suggestions. 

Learn more about the advisory group and subcommittees. 

Reports and resources

• Report: Prenatal-25 strategic plan update (December 2023)
• Report: Emerging state practices
• Resource: Meeting notes and materials

Background

During the 2022 legislative session, the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group (CYBHWG) recommended the development of a Statewide Prenatal through 25 (P-25) Behavioral Health Strategic Plan. This recommendation was passed by the Washington State legislature in Second Substitute House Bill 1890.

In 2024, Engrossed House Bill 2256 updated this legislation and extended the due date for the P-25 behavioral health strategic plan to November 1, 2025.