$9M granted to child mental health services

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Monday $9 million in new grants for mental health treatment and early detection for children.

A Safe School, Healthy Student grant totaling $8 million over four years will implement activities and services in schools to create safe and supportive environments; and a $1 million Early Division grant over three years will  promote training, consultation and identification of mental health problems in children and young adults.

“Protecting the well-being of our children and improving the quality of life for their families have been the overarching goals of my administration and the need for these services has become even more evident after the Newtown tragedy,” Malloy said in a press release. “The addition of these grants will enable Connecticut to more effectively reach out to young adults who need mental health support and bolster safe school environments.”

The grants will be administered primarily by the state’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in partnership with the Department of Education, the judicial branch court support services division and local education agencies.