The Minnesota Legislature established Children’s Mental Health Collaboratives and Family Services Collaboratives in 1993 as an innovative approach to address the needs of children and youth who face complex challenges involving them and their families with multiple service systems. Collaboratives promote promising prevention and early intervention strategies through an expansive public health approach encompassing all developmental dimensions of well-being (cognitive, social, emotional/behavioral, physical, environmental, economic, spiritual, and educational/vocational).

Minnesota statute directs collaboratives to establish an integrated mental health service system to target the multisystem needs of children and youth with or at risk for mental health concerns and their families.

The Hennepin County Children’s Mental Health Collaborative (CMHC) embraces the following vision: Effective and accessible community-based mental health systems and supports for infants, children, youth and families with mental health needs.

Our mission is to improve access to and resources for high-quality, culturally and economically supportive mental health services for infants, children, youth and families within Hennepin County.