Prevention and Early Intervention Services include preventive mental health programs targeting vulnerable at-risk groups with the intent to prevent the occurrence of mental and/or emotional problems and service programs designed to intervene as early as possible following the identification of a problem. Prevention and/or early intervention programs should be designed to target a specific group of children or youth and/or their families, such as children or youth who have been abused or neglected, teenage parents and their children, and young children and their parents. Children or youth identified as having a serious emotional disturbance and/or their families may also be targeted to receive specialized intervention early in the course of identification of the emotional disturbance.
