The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) will convene an ad hoc committee of experts to conduct a consensus study on early relational health (ERH). The committee will make recommendations on future directions for research, policy, and practices and recommend strategies and actions to translate basic and applied research findings to advance ERH across health care, childcare, education, and other community settings. In conducting its work, the committee will examine clinical, program, and research trends related to this paradigm shift that focus on ERH for infant, child, and family wellbeing.
The committee will address the following questions:
1. What is the link between ERH and long-term health and wellbeing?
2. What is the impact of ERH on addressing a range of challenges at the multiple levels of behavior, biology, epigenetics, neurodevelopment, and communities, for addressing the needs of all children?
3. What are the multiple roots of ERH that are critical to understand, incorporate and address in public health initiatives?
4. What is the evidence from family engagement and place-based initiatives in communities that can guide new family support and systems to further advance ERH?
5. What are best practices to advance ERH and community resilience through community-level early childhood systems change across sectors, such as health and mental health systems, public health systems, family support programs, and early care and education systems?
6. What federal and state policies and programs can support and advance ERH?
The committee will organize and host a public workshop focused on these questions. Based primarily on workshop presentations and discussions, supplemented by additional literature review as appropriate, the committee will develop a short report with recommendations to advance ERH across child health care and communities. It will articulate research opportunities to galvanize research and policy activities to uplift and strengthen families and communities.