{"id":31987,"date":"2022-07-25T19:28:34","date_gmt":"2022-07-25T19:28:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caseyfamilyv2.wpengine.com\/dsep-kidstart\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T16:28:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T16:28:12","slug":"dsep-kidstart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/dsep-kidstart\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfC\u00f3mo ha priorizado el condado de San Diego la evaluaci\u00f3n del desarrollo, la valoraci\u00f3n y el tratamiento para los ni\u00f1os peque\u00f1os?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Summary<\/h3>\n

This brief describes two specialized programs that work together to serve young children, particularly those with complex needs.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Thanks to advances in brain science and research, we now know that a child\u2019s earliest years are most critical to development and that what happens during these years lays the groundwork for the rest of a child\u2019s life. This understanding led partners within the County of San Diego to form DSEP<\/b><\/span> (Developmental Screening & Enhancement Program) and KidSTART<\/b><\/span> (Screening, Triage, Assessment, Referral, and Treatment), two programs aimed at ensuring that children in foster care 5 years old or younger receive needed services to maintain placement stability, achieve timely permanency, and reach their full potential<\/b><\/span>.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

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Both programs operate under Rady Children\u2019s Hospital San Diego. DSEP<\/span><\/a> provides developmental and behavior screening and service linkages for all young children involved with the County of San Diego\u2019s Child Welfare Services (CWS), while KidSTART<\/span><\/a> provides comprehensive services to young children with complex needs, regardless of system involvement.<\/p>\n

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DSEP and KidSTART may be distinct, but the programs are integrated in that they share many common goals, a common population, and specially trained staff that coordinates as a team \u2014 often delivering clinical and other treatment interventions within the same location or during the same session with a child or family<\/b><\/span>. DSEP screens all young children in foster care (ages birth to 5 years old) and connects them to appropriate services. For children with more complex needs,2<\/sup><\/a> KidSTART is the next step after DSEP. KidSTART delivers the more intensive services identified by DSEP, including: speech, occupational, and physical therapy; mental health therapy; and behavioral interventions, in an integrated and coordinated approach.<\/p>\n

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Data indicate that investments in these programs have been paying off: 91% of the children receiving DSEP case management were linked successfully to at least one service<\/span><\/a>, and more than 90% of children in out-of-home care maintained their placement for the duration of KidSTART services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Sometimes children have subtle needs that aren\u2019t seen by an individual community provider \u2014 but they will grow into big needs if they aren\u2019t identified early and addressed from a transdisciplinary perspective. If you can get in there early and serve the child and family across multiple disciplines, the possibilities are so much greater than if you wait to intervene until children are 5 or 6.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

— Staff at DSEP\/KidSTART<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
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What make DSEP and KidSTART unique?<\/h2>\n