Similar to many children and youth across the country, young people in Missouri face behavioral health challenges. In 2022, an estimated one in four children ages 3-17 in Missouri had at least one mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral health need. Additionally, roughly 15 percent of youth ages 12-17 reported experiencing a major depressive episode in the past year, and four percent faced challenges with substance use.

Since 2022, Missouri state agency leaders from child welfare, juvenile justice, Medicaid, and behavioral health, along with representatives from community and provider organizations, have committed to work collaboratively to transform the children’s behavioral health system. To facilitate this effort, Missouri formed two cross-system collaborative groups: (1) the Missouri Children’s Mental Health Collaborative, designed to meet the immediate needs of children and families experiencing behavioral health crises; and (2) a Continuum of Care Workgroup, facilitated by the Center for Health Care Strategies, to focus on systems-level change that can better serve children and families in the long term.

This profile shares insights from Missouri state leaders on the power of cross-system collaboration as they work to transform the state’s behavioral health system for children, including reducing fragmentation and ensuring equitable access to care.